Silenced Voices | The Black Oak Ensemble
The trio of Black Oak Ensemble (Chicago, USA) visits KET for a concert on Thursday December 12th.
The Black Oak Ensemble comprises GRAMMY – nominated violinist Desirée Ruhstrat and cellist David Cunliffe of the acclaimed Lincoln Trio and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli, a founding member of the ground-breaking GRAMMY-nominated Spektral Quartet. They have collaborated with musicians such as bandoneon player, Evan Orman, guitarists Goran Ivanovic and José Ferreira, harpsichordist Jory Vinikour. A passionate advocate of new works it has commissioned and premiered string trios from renowned composers such as Michael Nyman, David Ludwig, Misha Zupko and Conrad Tao.
At KET, they will present parts of their first studio album titled Silenced Voices. It is a deeply personal program dedicated to mid-20th Century Jewish composers, most of whom lost their lives during the Holocaust―was released on Cedille Records and has been featured by Gramophone Magazine, Strings Magazine and BBC Radio 3.
Aurélien’s mother, a history teacher, who comes from a Sephardic family has devoted her life to bringing awareness to the Holocaust.
One of her proudest endeavors was bringing students every year on a teaching voyage to Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Auschwitz, Treblinka, and Terezin. In such a voyage in Budapest, Desirée and David discovered some records at a local record store. Among them were recordings by Géza Frid, Paul Hermann Strijktrio, and Dick Kattenburg, which Black Oak Ensemble included in their album Silenced Voices. The purpose of the project is to hear the voices of those who were forced to silence during pogroms, exile, and the Holocaust.