A cultural platform for exploring critical ideas of our time through art and dialogue.

January 21, 7:30 pm
January 22, 7:30 pm
January 23, 3:00 pm

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Koffler Arts is excited to announce the upcoming production of the chamber opera The Journal of Hélène Berr by Bernard Foccroulle in partnership with The Royal Conservatory of Music’s 21C Music Festival. Koffler Arts General Director Matthew Jocelyn is thrilled to be bringing this performance to life in Toronto:

“This North American première of a seminal work by composer Bernard Foccroulle, brings to life the tragic story of the young Parisian Hélène Berr, who was killed in Bergen-Belsen five days before liberation in May 1945, through her own words which, almost miraculously, never abandon hope and a belief in the good of her fellow human beings.”

— Matthew Jocelyn, General Director

Bernard Foccroulle’s moving portrait of a Parisian Jewish student deported to Auschwitz is brought to life by Elena Howard-Scott and The Glenn Gould School Quartet.

Written between 1942 and 1944 by a Parisian Jewish student who was deported to Auschwitz in March 1944 and died in April 1945, a few days before the liberation of the Bergen-Belsen camp, it took 63 years for Hélène Berr's journal to be published,

When he read the manuscript of the journal, the Belgian composer Bernard Foccroulle was overwhelmed and captivated by what it contained in terms of zest for life, lightness, and love. He then wrote a lyrical drama for voice, piano, and string quartet, the libretto of which is taken from the journal. The premiere of this work took place in May 2023 in Cherbourg and was followed by nearly 20 performances in France. The performances at the RCM mark the work’s North American premiere.

A versatile singer and a former Rebanks Fellow at The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School, Elena Howard-Scott’s recent credits include operas The Handmaid’s Tale (Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity), Dialogues des Carmélites, Flight, Venus and Adonis, Svadba (The Royal Conservatory of Music), and musicals A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Drayton Entertainment), Narnia (BadHats Theatre), Fiddler on the Loose (Drayton Entertainment), and A Little Night Music and Into the Woods (Koerner Hall).