Exit to USA

When:   May 19th, 2014
Where:  Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York 

When:   May 21st, 2014
Where:  Austrian Cultural Forum, New York

In the past years, exil.arte has attempted to bring composers to the public, which were ostracized, banished or killed by national socialists. exil.arte organizes staging concerts, symposiums and workshops and publishes CDs and book series. The concerts encompassed in „EXIT TO USA“ are supposed to communicate the knowledge about these composers outside of Austria. Austrian Cultural Forums in Paris, New York, and Mexico City are the main co-partners for theses series of concerts. Young musicians, who work very enthusiastically on this new repertoire, will give the performances predominantly. 

To a great extent, the tour also follows the routes that many composers have undertaken to flee the violent regime of National Socialism. Many of the composers left the continent via Paris and Marseille, to ultimately find exile in the US or Mexico. 

An important character back then was the diplomat Gilberto Bosques, general consul in Paris in 1939 and in Marseille in 1940, who at the height of the refugee crisis saved thousands from persecution for reasons of political opinion or race, by distributing departure permits. He is today also known for his efforts as the „Mexican Schindler“. Despite orders of his superiors who criticized his generous handling of departure permits, he continued with his initiative, only driven by his humanistic commitment.  The concerts are also in commemoration of Gilberto Bosques endeavors. 

The musicians and singers are mainly students and graduates of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.