Fortunoff Archive Premieres Songs From Testimonies Web Series

The Fortunoff Archive is pleased to kick off the first season of their new web series, Songs From Testimonies. Songs From Testimonies introduces viewers to music survivors recalled in their testimonies, whether from their pre-war lives or during imprisonment in ghettos, labor camps, or concentration camps. The first season, "Where Is Our Homeland?" serves as a companion to the first volume of recordings by the same title, produced by the archive's Musician-in-Residence D. Zisl Slepovitch.

Episode 1 features "Walc François" from the testimony of Peretz H. (HVT-3569). Passing as a non-Jew during the war, Peretz sang this song, among others, in the streets of Warsaw to earn a living. In this episode, you can watch the original testimony excerpt, a performance of the song by the Zisl Slepovitch Ensemble & Sasha Lurje, and commentary by Slepovitch and author Krzysztof Czyżewski. For more information see http://songsfromtestimonies.org.

You can watch Episode 1 here