top of page

SHANGHAI SONATAS
EDUCATIONAL RESIDENCY (SSER)

Educational events
- paired with productions when available

(produced by Memor NYC, Inc.)

1. The Emergence of Western Classical Music in China
(90 min | A curated docu-film series | ages 8+)

​In 1979, the Oscar-winning documentary film From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China detailed the groundbreaking collaboration between legendary violinist Isaac Stern and the China Central Symphony Society. The events portrayed in the film are both a result of and a catalyst for the growth of Western classical music in China throughout the 20th century.

 

Today, there are millions of classical musicians worldwide who are Chinese or of Chinese descent. During this 90-minute event, UD’s Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music and world-renowned concert violinist Sean (Xiang) Gao, originally from Beijing, will interweave discussion with documentary film clips to tell the story of classical music's journey to becoming a new Chinese tradition and cultural identity.  

2. Lives in the Shanghai Jewish Ghetto
(A touring exhibition | ages 8+)

This exhibition, created by the Shanghai Jewish Refugees Museum, shares a visual history of the Jewish people who fled Austria and Germany in the 1930s and 40s and settled in Shanghai, China, one of the only places in the world that would accept them.

In 1941, when the Japanese occupied the city and restricted them to the cramped Hongkou district, thousands of Jewish refugees suddenly found themselves living alongside ten thousand Chinese residents in a ghetto less than one square mile in size. Despite these challenges, they adapted with extraordinary resilience, forging a new, unique culture with warm support from their new Chinese neighbors.

Through photographs, quotes, documents and video, this exhibition relates the fascinating story of the Shanghai Jewish Refugees, as seen through their own eyes.

3. Lives of the Shanghai Jewish Refugee Musician
(60-90 min | multimedia lectures | ages 12+)

Dr. Sophie Fetthauer is a scholar of musicology from the University of Hamburg, Germany, who has researched and authored numerous publications on music and musical life in the Third Reich with a special focus on Jewish musicians in exile in Shanghai during World War II.

As part of SSER, Dr. Fetthauer will share her research through a series of multimedia presentations in November 2022 that will highlight various aspects of life in the Shanghai Jewish Ghetto through the lens of music.

The lectures, which will be supplemented by illustrations and musical examples, will each last 60 minutes, plus 30 minutes of discussion. Topics will include options of integration for popular musicians in Shanghai exile; the Jewish refugees’ relationship to Chinese Music; and Jewish Cantors in Shanghai.​​

4. From Page to Stage: Creating a Musical
(60-90 min | meet & greet and Q&A | ages 12+)

Have you ever wondered how a musical is made? Have you ever wanted to create one yourself? The catchy tunes and riveting dialogue of your favorite musical started as a simple spark of inspiration before going through numerous rounds of revision over many years and reaching the stage you see it on today. In this discussion-style event, the creative force behind the new musical Shanghai Sonatas will describe the ins and outs of its 5-year development, from conception to production.

Join creators and some cast members as they share their experiences and field your questions about the labor of love behind Shanghai Sonatas.​

5. Once My Name Was Sara: A Talk With Shanghai Jewish Ghetto Survivor Betty Grebenschikoff
(60-90 min | special lecture | ages 12+)

​Betty Grebenschikoff is a Holocaust survivor and author of a memoir, Once My Name Was Sara. In 1939, when her peaceful childhood in Berlin, Germany, was shattered by Nazi violence against Jews, Betty's family was forced to flee to China. She grew up in Shanghai where the family tried to make a living under difficult circumstances. During World War II, the Jewish refugees were interned by Japanese authorities in a segregated area of Shanghai, also known as the Shanghai Ghetto. Life became even harder than before.

During this event, Betty will tell her extraordinary story, which has informed the development of the new musical Shanghai Sonatas. She will also sign copies of her memoir, which will be available for purchase after the event.

6. The Harbin Violin: A Talk With Lily Klebanoff Blake
(60-90 min | special lecture | ages 12+)

Born in Shanghai, Lily Klebanoff Blake is the third generation of her family to live in China.
Her grandparents, Russian Jews, were pioneer settlers of Harbin, a city in the northeast of China.

The "Harbin violin" belonged to her grandfather, who established LYRA, probably the first store for western classical music in China, in Harbin in 1903 where classical music was first established in China.  The “Harbin Violin” has been featured in performances of Shanghai Sonatas. 

Lily will tell her family's multi-generational China story and how it is directly connected to the stories behind the new musical Shanghai Sonatas.

bottom of page