Concert of Banned Music July 12, 2009

Las Cruces, NM – A concert of music which was banned during the Nazi era will be performed in the Shannon Room of the Branigan Cultural Center on Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 3:00 PM.

The concert, featuring works of Max Bruch and Kurt Weill, correlates with the Museum’s current exhibit, “Fighting the Fires of Hate”. The exhibit, on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, details the steps that were taken in Germany during the 1930s and 40s to suppress freedom of expression.

Performing selections from Bruch’s Opus 83 for clarinet, viola and piano will be John Pleasant, Nancy Morey, and Georgina Lavery. Soprano, Irene Brink, will bring vocal selections by Kurt Weill, accompanied by Barbara Toth at the piano. Ms. Toth will also accompany cellist, Alison Reynolds, for Bruch’s moving “Kol Nidrei”.

Tickets for the performance are $5.00, available from Las Cruces Friends of Chamber Music (575) 523-7714 or jbtoth@aol.com. Because seating is limited, early reservations are advised. For more information, see www.lascrucesfriendsofchambermusic.org .

The Branigan Cultural Center, 501 N. Main Street, is located at the north end of the Downtown Mall in Las Cruces. For specific directions visit the Center’s web site at www.las-cruces.org/museums.