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2025 Annual Kristallnacht Commemorative Concert

Escape & Exile – East & West

Join the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand for a poignant evening of remembrance and reflection. The Te Kōkī Trio, featuring Inbal Megiddo (cello), Martin Riseley (violin), and Jian Liu (piano), will be joined by Professor Kim Cunio, Head of Te Kōkī / New Zealand School of Music, in a powerful performance commemorating Kristallnacht.

This concert commemorates Kristallnacht, or “The Night of Broken Glass,” the horrific pogroms of 9–10 November 1938, across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland. This state-sponsored violence saw the murder of an estimated 91 Jews, the arrest of 30,000, and the destruction of hundreds of synagogues and Jewish businesses. Kristallnacht is widely regarded as a pivotal moment, marking the escalation of Nazi persecution and often described as the beginning of the Holocaust.

The Nazis sought to silence the music and art of all those they deemed "untermenschen," including six million Jews and other victimised groups. This concert stands as a powerful act of defiance and remembrance, allowing us to hear the voices of those who were murdered, forced into hiding, or exiled. It celebrates their artistic brilliance and ensures their memory lives on.

This year's theme is "Escape and Exile: East and West." In the tradition of paying musical tribute to all victims, we will honour the music of Jewish composers from across the globe—from the Netherlands and Nazi-occupied Germany in the West, all the way to Iraq and Shanghai in the East.

The programme will feature pieces that honour:

Erna Weiss Falk, a talented Jewish opera singer from Cologne, whose promising career was cut short by anti-Jewish laws. She and her family ultimately escaped to the Netherlands.
Brigitte Schiffer, a young composer who completed her doctorate in Berlin before fleeing the Nazis to Egypt, where she became the director of the Higher Music Education Institute for women.
The Al Kuwaiti brothers, Jewish pioneers of modern Iraqi music, survived the Farhud, a devastating pogrom inspired by Nazi ideology that targeted Baghdad's Jewish population on June 1-2, 1941, coinciding with the Jewish holiday of Shavuot. Despite their legacy resonating across the Middle East through radio, their contributions were erased from Iraqi history.
Ferdinand Adler, a Hungarian Jewish violinist who miraculously escaped from the Dachau concentration camp, to Shanghai.

Join us for this important event as we mourn the lives lost and celebrate the resilience of the human spirit. We look forward to welcoming you.

Details:

Wellington: Sunday, 9 November 2025
Auckland: Monday, 10 November 2025
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Concert Begins: 6:45 PM
Location: To Be Announced

Please RSVP by Monday, 3 November 2025, to let us know if you can join us.