To mark the anniversary of the exile in 2026, a concert featuring members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist David Hausknecht will be held in cooperation with the Center for Jewish History, the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, the Leo Baeck Institute, and the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, featuring works by Gustav Mahler, Erwin Schulhoff, and Walter Bricht. The concert is supported by Alumni Relations – Office of the Rector of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Welcome remarks by Rector Ulrike Sych and Michael Leavitt.
Gustav Mahler Piano Quartet in A minor (1876) I. Not too fast
Erwin Schulhoff String Quartet No. 2 (1925)
Walter Bricht Piano Concerto No. 2 in A minor, Op. 17 (1929) — Arrangement for piano quintet (1952) I. Allegro molto moderato II. Allegretto con moto III. Introduction, theme, and variations
Moderator:
Gerold Gruber, founder of exil.arte and director of the Exilarte Center at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Interpreters:
Lucas Stratmann, violin (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) Martin Klimek, violin (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) Robert Bauerstatter, viola (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) Stefan Gartmayer, cello (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) David Hausknecht, piano (mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna / Exilarte Center)
The publication about the work and life of the Jewish composer “Richard Fuchs – A Composer’s Search for Identity” has now been published by Böhlau Verlag!
Richard Fuchs: A Musical Reflection on Homeland, Exile, and Identity
Richard Fuchs (1887–1947) is among the German-Jewish composers whose work emerged at the intersection of exile, loss of homeland, and cultural marginalization. After emigrating to New Zealand, Fuchs, formerly active in Germany as an architect and musician, sought to develop his compositional voice under new social and cultural conditions – yet he remained deeply rooted in his homeland. Based on archival research, the study traces the composer’s “three lives” – as a German, a Jew, and an émigré. It highlights how Fuchs responded to political and social exclusion through his music, reflecting on identity, belonging, and memory.
The estate includes Bürger’s compositions in the form of autograph manuscripts as well as a large collection of personal documents and photographs.
Alma Rosé came from a well-known Austrian family of musicians and gained fame as a violinist. Her career was abruptly ended in 1938 by Austria’s annexation to Nazi Germany. As conductor of the women’s orchestra in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp, she was able to save the lives of numerous musicians before she herself died in Auschwitz in 1944.
In memory of the life and work of Alma Rosé (Vienna 1906 / Auschwitz 1944), students and lecturers from the Alma Rosé Institute for String Instruments, Guitar, and Harp in Music Education will perform works by Hans Gál, Gideon Klein, Erwin Schulhoff, and others.
Das Wiener Quartett besteht in der heutigen Konstellation seit Herbst 2022. Neben Werken von Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann und Antonin Dvorak, umfasst das junge Ensemble ein Repertoire an Stücken verfolgter KomponistInnen in der NS-Zeit, sowie zeitgenössischer Musik, unter anderem Werke von Hans Gál, Szymon Laks, Henriëtte Bosmans und Viktor Ullmann. Inspiriert von der kammermusikalischen Tätigkeit Alma Rosés möchte das junge Ensemble an die Geigerin erinnern. Alma Rosé ist dem Quartett Inspiration und Vorbild – als großartige Musikerin und als mutige und willensstarke Frau. Die Musik ihrer Zeit begeistert und berührt gleichzeitig auf besondere Weise. Diese Gefühle möchten die Musiker:innen mit ihrem Publikum teilen.
Noema Quartett
Das Noema Quartett wurde im Sommer 2025 gegründet. Ein Schwerpunkt des Ensembles liegt auf der Musik des 20. Jahrhunderts, insbesondere auf Werken vertriebener und vergessener Komponist:innen. Daneben widmet sich das Quartett dem klassischen Repertoire auf historischen Instrumenten. Auftritte führten das Ensemble unter anderem in das „Haus der Geschichte“, Museum in Wien.
Gideon Klein Trio Wien
Das Gideon Klein Trio Wien (Streichtrio) beschäftigt sich musikalisch als Schwerpunkt mit “Entarteter Musik” und spielte bereits beim Festakt zur offiziellen Benennung der Alma-Rosé-Stiege in Salzburg sowie beim Konzert „In Erinnerung an Alma Rosé“ im Haus der Geschichte Österreich – Museum Wien. Alle drei Musikerinnen studieren am Alma Rosé Institut der Universität für Musik und der Wisscenschaft Wien – mdw.
Moderator:
David Frühwirth (Director, Alma Rosé Institute for String Instruments, Guitar, and Harp in Music Education)
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the exil.arte association and the 10th anniversary of the mdw’s Exilarte Research Center, this concert honors the voices of those composers, performers, music researchers, and theater artists who were considered “degenerate” during the Third Reich and whose works have often been forgotten. For two decades, the Exilarte Center has served as a contact point and interface for the reception, research, preservation, and presentation of this important cultural heritage.
The evening will focus on works by exiled composers, readings by Cornelius Obonya, and solo and chamber music performances by artists who have been associated with Exilarte for many years. The premiere of Yury Revich’s composition INVISIBLE will provide a contemporary reflection on the theme of invisibility and silencing of exiled artists.
Friday, March 13th, 2026 at 07:30 pm
Musikverein Gläserner Saal / Magna Auditorium Musikvereinsplatz 1 1010 Vienna
Soprano Shira Karmon and pianist Paul Gulda presented songs from their joint album “Spirit of Hope” (Gramola, 2021) as well as other works composed in exile from the Exilarte archive. The programme included songs by Julius Bürger, Wilhelm Grosz, Szymon Laks, Viktor Ullmann and Kurt Weill.
The Israeli soprano has made guest appearances at the Komische Oper Berlin, the Opéra national du Rhin, the Schwetzinger Festspiele, Wien Modern and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, among others. In addition to her classical repertoire, she is deeply committed to Jewish music and performs internationally with programmes about exile and remembrance. Her albums Spirit of Hope, Little Cakewalk and Bei mir bistu sheyn (Gramola) have won numerous awards. Karmon is a prize winner of the 20th and 21st Century Song Competition organised by the Cultural Committee of German Business.
The Viennese pianist, composer and teacher Paul Gulda has been performing internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and improviser since the 1980s. He has worked with artists such as Zubin Mehta, Yehudi Menuhin, Martha Argerich and the Hagen Quartet. In addition to the classical repertoire, he is also involved in projects promoting cultural dialogue and Jewish musical tradition. Numerous CD recordings, most recently ‘Spirit of Hope’ (Gramola, 2021) and ‘Arpeggione’ (cpo, 2022). Gulda teaches at the Friedrich Gulda School of Music in Vienna.
The Shoah Songbook is an ongoing project by the Likht Ensemble that researches and performs music from the ghettos of World War II. The works revolve around themes such as spring, dreams, longing, and resistance, combining lyrical beauty with subtle irony and deeply moving truth. The program is complemented by scholarly lectures by Spencer Kryzenowski and Jaclyn Grossman on vocal music from the estates of the Exile Art Center and on the work of exile composers in Canada.
The project is supported by the Canada Council for the Art.
Musical works from the archives of the Exilarte Center: Walter Arlen, Wilhelm Grosz, Erich Zeisl, Hans Winterberg, Walter Bricht, and works by Julius Schloss
Performers:
Jaclyn Grossman – soprano | Spencer Kryzenowski – piano
The symposium The Viennese Ball Season of 1938 at the Crossroads of Hope and Despair, Escape and Exile on October 29th, 2025 explored the cultural and political significance of the last Viennese ball season before Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany.
Inspired by a rediscovered souvenir from the Caro & Jellinek company ball scheduled for March 12, 1938, the event—organized in cooperation with the Exilarte Center of the mdw – University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna —examined how music and dance reflected identity, resistance, and farewell on the eve of exile. With scholarly lectures, a seminar, and a staged reading, it highlighted the life of composer Leonhard Märker and the role of music in exile and internment. Featuring scholarly contributions by Emily Marker, Mélina Burlaud, Marie-Theres Arnbom, Dietmar Friesenegger, and Gerold Gruber, and musical performances by Romana Amerling, Clemens Seewald and Ulrike Anton, the symposium linked research, teaching, and artistic practice in an innovative form of remembrance culture.
This was followed by a staged reading, accompanied by music from the ball.
The publication featuring texts by and about the twelve-tone composer Philip Herschkowitz, a student of Anton Webern, was released in spring 2025 by the Viennese publishing house Hollitzer.
To mark the presentation of this new publication, two of the editors, Elisabeth Leonskaja and Alexei Lubimov, who were once students of Herschkowitz, will perform the music of those whom Philip Herschkowitz considered influential for his work: Mozart, Beethoven, and Schoenberg.
The young performers—Alexei Grots, Lisa Bormotova, and Constantin Siepermann, as well as the Ineo Quartet—will present compositions from Philip Herschkowitz’s own repertoire.
If you have the time and wish to experience a program of special pieces, we look forward to welcoming you to the free
concert on September 9, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at the Kleiner Ehrbar-Saal, Mühlgasse 30, 1040 Vienna
You will also have the opportunity to purchase one or more copies of the book “Über Musik” (About Music) (price: € 48).
We warmly welcome you; it is our honor!
On behalf of all participants:
Prof. Gerold Gruber Dr. Michael Hüttler Heidemarie T. Ambros
On Saturday, October 4th, 2025, the “ORF Long Night of Museums” was held throughout Austria.
The mdw Exilarte Center was again taking part. This year the center was once again offering a variety of events, including lectures, concerts and guided tours of the exhibition “Eric Zeisl – Vienna’s Lost Son in Foreign Lands” and through our permanent exhibitions.
SPECIAL EVENTS as part of the ORF Long Night of Museums
1) “Bernhard Klein – A Viennese zither virtuoso in the shadows of oblivion” | lecture by Michael Haider (historian, BMEIA) | Monika Kutter (zither) (start: 6:15 p.m.)
Opening: Dr. Gerold Gruber, Head of the Exilarte Center of the mdw
In his lecture, historian Dr. Michael Haider (BMEIA) shed light on the eventful life and work of the almost forgotten Viennese musician Bernhard Klein (1861–1941). As a celebrated zither virtuoso, composer, and music teacher, Klein shaped the musical life of the turn of the century before he almost disappeared from cultural memory due to persecution, isolation, and his deportation to Riga in 1941.
Musical performance by Dr. Monika Kutter with zither music by Berhard Klein.
2) Chamber music evening in cooperation with the “Missing Voices” initiative – Hans Gál, Walter Bricht, and Henriette Bosmans (start: 8:00 p.m.)
Like the mdw’s Exile Art Center, the Missing Voices initiative is dedicated to rediscovering and raising awareness of composers whose careers and lives were interrupted or destroyed by National Socialism, exile, and discrimination. At the invitation of the mdw’s Exile Art Center, Sarah Bayens (violin) and Dimitri Malignan (piano) performed works by Henriette Bosmans, Hans Gál, and Walter Bricht.
3) “Songs and Piano Music” – a tribute to Georg Tintner (start: 10:00 p.m.)
Aleksandra Bobrowska (piano) and Danae Eleni (soprano) presented a finely curated program focusing on songs and piano works by Georg Tintner. In addition to his poetic settings—based on texts by Rilke, Storm, and Hesse, among others—the program includes works by Chopin, Debussy, and Audric de Oliveira, spanning the expressive spectrum from Romanticism to Impressionism and Modernism. The widow of the composer, Tanya Tintner, will be present at the concert.
4) Quick tours of the exhibition with curator Dr. Karin Wagner (7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.)
Erich Zeisl (1905-1959) is one of those displaced Viennese composers whose works have returned to contemporary musical consciousness thanks to the achievements of exile music research and have found their way into the current canon of literature. Born in Leopoldstadt in 1905, Zeisl was enrolled as a highly talented teenager at the then Academy of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (now the mdw) in 1920/21. It is therefore an important concern of the Exilarte Center to honor this composer, who was so closely associated with Vienna and died in Los Angeles, with an exhibition. Zeisl put his signature to his fate in Austria with the song “Komm süßer Tod”: composed in January 1938 and premiered in Vienna’s Ehrbarsaal in February of that year, it was the last song in the German language to end a flourishing career – shattered by the rise of National Socialism and the Anschluss that immediately followed in March 1938. It is precisely this image of the clash of worlds – Zeisl’s origins, the Café Tegetthoff, were soon “Aryanized”, Zeisl himself escaped to Paris under dramatic circumstances after the November pogrom of 1938 – that marks the entrance to an exhibition that aims to make the rupture of exile into a “before” and “after” tangible. The public’s perception and reception of the works in this “before” and “after” were fundamentally different. The exhibition traces these moments of an exile biography, the narrative line follows the exile locations Paris, New York and Los Angeles. While abroad, his style changed in the direction of “Jewish art music”, which is also the subject of the exhibition. Barbara Zeisl-Schoenberg, Zeisl’s daughter, and Randy Schoenberg, his grandson, have donated the entire correspondence (over 5,000 letters) and the musical estate to the archive of the mdw’s Exilarte Center.
A concert evening dedicated to the chamber music works of the composer Hans Winterberg (1901-1991). Under the title “Echo of the Unheard”, a selection of his works was interpreted by students of the mdw.
Born in Prague, Winterberg’s artistic career was severely impaired by persecution, deportation and exile. As a Jewish composer, he survived Theresienstadt and emigrated to Germany in 1947, where he had to re-establish himself as a musician under difficult circumstances. It was only decades after his death that a rediscovery of his work began – initiated by his grandson Peter Kreitmeir and supported by the Exilarte Center of the mdw in collaboration with the music publisher Boosey & Hawkes.
Katja Kaiser, archivist at the Exilarte Center, curated the program and led through the evening.
Peter Kreitmeir, grandson of Hans Winterberg, was honored by the team at the mdw’s Exile Art Center for his outstanding achievements!
Arabella Fenyves, soprano | Cuore Piano Trio | Eric Ziegelbauer, trumpet
Program:
Trio for violin, cello, and piano (1950) Suite for trumpet and piano (1945) Suite for trumpet and piano (1944) Sudeten Suite for violin, cello, and piano (1963/64) „Dort und Hier“ for soprano, violin, cello, and piano (1937)
