The Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra has commissioned composer Michael Schachter to create a choral work to commemorate the organization’s 60th anniversary and to honor the memory of the prisoners in the Terezin concentration camp. The genesis of the piece is the fact that something extraordinary happened within the walls of the concentration camp during World War II. Despite facing starvation, disease and the constant threat of deportation to Auschwitz, the Jewish prisoners mounted operas, formed choirs, composed new works, and performed masterpieces-most famously, the Verdi Requiem. This new work emerges directly from this history. Composer Michael Schachter brings both artistic mastery and a deeply personal connection to this history. His wife's great grandfather was traced to the Terezin concentration camp where he sang in the choir. The program includes Haydn's luminous Theresienmesse with four young soloists who competed in a national search and a full orchestra. Reserve your free tickets at BCCO.org