Winnipeg hosts world premiere of Shoah oratorio

WINNIPEG— The Jewish community here turned out in full force to support the world premiere of Zane Zalis’ Holocaust-themed Oratorio, I Believe, performed at the Winnipeg Concert Hall on May 21, complete with a full 65-member orchestra and 190-voice chorus.

“Every seat in the [2,200 seat] hall was sold out, and we had 250 people on a waiting list,” said Bob Freedman, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg and one of the event’s organizers.

Holocaust survivor Arnold Frieman was the first in the Jewish community to be deeply moved by hearing an excerpt of Zalis’ powerful musical composition. He and Zalis, a Ukrainian Catholic high school teacher, developed a strong kinship, and Frieman told Zalis his personal story.

Through Frieman and other supporters of the project, the Jewish Federation sold 500 tickets at $250 each, ensuring that the $100,000 cost of putting on this elaborate event was covered.

Nona Leibl, Frieman’s daughter, told The CJN at the concert “has awakened many latent memories for my father that have come to the surface… He has told us more about his experiences during the Holocaust in the last two weeks than he has throughout his entire life.”

Gena Geurtin, Frieman’s other daughter, and one of the co-chairs of the event, noted that organizers “were even able to raised enough money [about 60,00] to ensure that the concert was professionally recorded… Zane had the opportunity to premiere I Believe in much larger cities – even in New York they were interested – but he said he would only premiere it in his hometown.”

Frieman’s granddaughter, university student Lexi Leibl, 20, was one of a handful of Jewish students who was part of the choir, made up mostly of Zalis’ students from Miles Macdonell Collegiate, where Zalis has taught for the last 28 years while composing and producing in his spare time.

Because Zalis has artistic connections in Austria, he chose an Austrian soloist, Marko Zeiler, to perform the lead tenor role of the Perpetrator, as well as choosing Austrian quartet-mates for the production of I Believe.

 “I am a Catholic from the small town of Murau in Austria, where about 2000 people live,” Zeiler told The CJN. “Almost everyone there is a Catholic. I am a believing Christian. I identify with the message of this production that hatred and racism have to be overcome at last.”

Zeiler added that he knew he was suited for the part, “especially with my Austrian accent,” and hoped that when the concert is performed in other cities, he will continue to be a part of it.

A contingent of 26 Austrians, many from Murau, flew to Winnipeg for the premiere. In addition, Austria’s new ambassador to Canada, Werner Brandstetter and his wife, Leonie, who is Jewish, flew in from Ottawa.

Leonie, who was visibly moved by the performance, is herself the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. She told The CJN that her mother, who was about 18 years old during the war, “survived because she was taken in by an innkeeper in Vienna. He made her live in the basement and treated her like a slave… but at least he protected her. The inn was a place where a lot of Nazi officers came and she was very beautiful and had to serve the officers, and her hands would shake as she served them, as she was always afraid of being found out.”

Werner Brandstetter said the Austrian government wanted to be present at the event, because of the Austrian singers in it, and because it’s “an important topic… It helps us to remember and face our past.”

Shelley Faintuch, the federation’s director of community relations and herself the daughter of Holocaust survivors, was the concert’s narrator, reading out excerpts from one of Hitler’s speeches and providing historical context between the 12 movements.

“I Believe can be performed in other cities,” Zalis told the CJN. “I have a number of people who already have approached me, but I have to decide how to continue the project in the most sustainable way. How and in what form is something I am going to consider.”

The premiere was also attended by Manitoba Premier Gary Doer, federal Treasury Board President Vic Toews, a large number of MLAs, Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz and Ephraim Kaye, director of the international seminars for educators from Yad Vashem in Israel. The Manitoba Department of Education also sponsored a large contingent of public school teachers to attend the event.