Event Details 

Giving Voice to a Foxtrot from Auschwitz-Birkenau
In November 2018, the Contemporary Directions Ensemble, directed by Oriol Sans, performed a foxtrot called “The Most Beautiful Time of Life” (Die
schönste Zeit des Lebens) to a sold-out audience at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Audience-goers were treated to a rare glimpse of this piece as
it had last been performed – more than 75 years ago in a far different setting. Based on a manuscript Patricia Hall researched at the Auschwitz-Birkenau
State Museum, this piece was arranged and copied by concentration camp prisoners and had not been performed since 1942 or 1943. 
The School of Music, Theatre & Dance created a video highlighting the project and its significance, garnering U-M a Michigan Emmy in 2019. Patricia gave
interviews on National Public Radio, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and the BBC, and an Associated Press story highlighting this project appeared
in Detroit Free Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and more than 1100 other news outlets in 22 countries. 
During her talk, Patricia will be describing the process of preparing this concert—from manuscript to performance. She will also talk about her most
recent work in the Collections Department of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum.