Association

orpheus.news  - Verein zur Vermittlung von Informationen und Koordination von Aktivitäten zur vom Nationalsozialismus verfolgten Musik, is a non-profit organization in Austria, dedicated to the provision of information on and coordination of activities referring to music and musicians born in Austria or in countries formerly part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, persecuted during nazism.

Among its objectives aiming to achieve extensive and continuous action in this field, the establishment of an information network for musicians, concert organisers, researchers, educators and the media takes a pivotal position.

Annual reports

Annual Report orpheus.news 2016

It was with great sadness that we learned our friend, honorary president of the Orpheus Trust, Moshe Jahoda, M.A. (14 May 1926 Vienna – 18 October 2016 Tel Mond, Israel), had passed away. Next to his professional activities as the Austrian Representative of the Claims Conference - Conference on Jewish Material Claims against  Germany, as a cousin of Viennese-born composer Fritz / Fred Spielman(n) he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the special objectives of the Orpheus Trust. Together with his other cousin, Walter Mark Gregory, and the Vienna Arts Councellor, Dr. Peter Marboe, he founded the Fritz Spielmann Fund of the Orpheus Trust, which has supported numerous scientists and musicians with grants for their research projects and music revival activities. His dedication to justice will continue to guide us.

With Yitzchak/ Eduard Barsam (7 March 1922 Vienna – 3 January 2016 Haifa) one of the last exiled composers from Vienna has passed away.  Another obituary refers to politician and sports official Alfred Gerstl (3 July 1923 Graz – 15 November 2016 Graz), who in his youth earned a living as a singer.

Organizational structure

During 2016, orpheus.news initiated a generation change.  At the suggestion of Primavera Driessen Gruber, former employees and interns of the Orpheus Trust were coopted as Board members of orpheus.news. At the General Assembly of November 2016 Mag. Sabine Reiter (Secretary General of MICA-music austria) and Dr. Judith Deak (Wiener Konzerthaus, at present on maternity leave) have been confirmed and elected as treasurer and secretary of orpheus.news. Mag. Lisa Farthofer–Schmidt (at present on maternity leave and music therapy studies, before that at the Wiener Konzerthaus), was elected as a member of the Board of Advisors. Together with our pleasant anticipation of new ideas to be realized by this younger generation, we feel grateful towards the parting Board members, who in weal and woe have stood together. We are happy that they will continue to share their experience as members of the Board of Advisors.

The website of orpheus.news was completely actualized by Primavera Driessen Gruber. During the year the draft for the finding aids for the archive of the Orpheus Trust at the Archive of the Academy of the Arts in Berlin was revised, so the inventory can be searched online now.

In January, on the occasion of the International Holocaust-Memorial Day Primavera Driessen Gruber was invited by the Israeli Permanent Mission to the UN to participate in a public talk in connection with the screening  of the documentary film ‚The Return oft he Violin’ (IL 2012) as part of the film festival ‚this human world’. In November, she attended the ceremony in honour of music ethnologist Simha Arom in Düsseldorf during the Memorial Days of the November pogroms 1938 as his guest. Simha Arom was honoured by the Ciry of Düsseldorf Stadt Düsseldorf and Representatives of the Federal State Nordrhein-Westfalen and visited various schools as a contemorary witness. The premiere of the German version of the film, ‚Simha’ by Jerôme Blumberg took place at the Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Düsseldorf. In December, on the invitation of Karin Wagner she participated with Marie-Theres Arnbom in a public talk on Richard Tauber for Dorf-TV in Linz.

News from individual Board members

Reinhard Kapp upon retirement as Professor of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna has recieved the emeritus status. He recently edited a conference report „Viennese School and Early Music“ and is working on further publications referring to music professionals, persecuted during nazism (René Leibowitz, Arnold Schoenberg, Leopold Spinner, Hans Swarowsky, Josef Trauneck).

The Toulouse conference ‚Soma Morgenstern – Von Galizien ins amerikanische Exil’, initiated by Heinz Lunzer and Victoria Lunzer-Talos had an indirect follow-up: Soma Morgenstern’s son, jazz historian Dan Morgenstern, came to Vienna to attend the unveiling of a memorial stone, initiated by Georg Deutsch, at Morgenstern’s last Vienna address in Belvedèregasse in Vienna’s fourth district.
Primavera Driessen Gruber continues her work on an ‚Austrian Biographical Dictionary of Music Professionals, persecuted during Nazisme, due to be published in fall 2018. By the end of 2016 6,700 persecuted musicians  and about 20,000 compositions had been documented.
Our congratulations go to Gerhard Scheit, who was awarded the Theodor Kramer Prize for Writing in Exile and Resistance 2016.

Transfer of knowledge and longlasting networks

Pupils of the Musikmittelschule Wiener Neustadt, who in 2015 during the Filmdays at the Metro KinoKulturhaus of the Austrian Society for Exile Studies (öge) had come to know Shoah-survivor Greta Klingsberg and had invited her to the school, performed, in cooperation with the Josef Matthias Hauer-Musikschule Wiener Neustadt, Hans Krása’s children’s opera Brundibár. In November, a film by Arno Aschauer about this project was screened during the Jewish Film Festival Vienna.

Primavera Driessen Gruber with thanks to Susan Cohen-Ungar (English translation)


Annual report 2015

Website
 .    Shocked by the terror attacks in Paris in January 2015, we posted the text „Je suis Charlie“ on our website. In the aftermath of these horrible events, Heinz Lunzer with the help of other Board members created a short mission statement in order to explain that the orpheus.news’ objectives, the documentation and promulgation of persecution during nazism, are strongly related to our commitment to a human world at present and in future: „The music professionals, whose life and work we aim to document and recollect have been confined in their freedom of art and expression; eventually even the right to life and physical integrity has been denied to them. Again and again there are reasons to remind us of these facts.“ Since then, these sentences form an introduction heading the homepage of our website.

.    With the help of some generous sponsors, the reconstruction of the website was completed this summer. Its new and clear arrangement makes it easier to find information and for Primavera Driessen Gruber the content management is much easier now. Additional categories for publications, new recordings, call for papers and exhibits complement the event calender. The short biographies of persecuted musicians, which can be found when clicking on the everchanging pictures, have been actualized, some new ones have been added; all pictures have names now. Also, the English version is complete online.

About 250 events in Austria and abroad were announced in 2015. Past events can be found under ‚retrospect’, which provides an overview of the musicians / performers, their repertoire of music persecuted during nazism and the venues interested in such programmes, making networking easier. New publications of Board members are highlighted in a special category ‚publications’ at the left red frame.

At the same time, the website of the ‚historical’ association Orpheus Trust www.orpheustrust.at has been revisited and completed. A selection of articles of the Orpheus-Supplement in the quarterly ‚Zwischenwelt’ is now online and can be found under ‚publications’. With a click on the name of the ‚other’ association, visitors can make a quick switch between the websites of Orpheus Trust and orpheus.news.

Other forms of intermediation
.    After many years, the address file for the German speaking public had to be updated. The addressees recieved a newsletter of orpheus.news together with an invitation for the project ‚Song of Life. Contemporary witness Greta Klingsberg in Vienna’ of the Austrian Society for Exile Research (öge). Initiated by Primavera Driessen Gruber, Greta was awarded the Honorary Membership of the (öge) at the Community Center of the IKG Wien on 1 October, like Elly Braun Schlesinger before – two women who each, in their individual ways, had set standards in courage and human behaviour under hard circumstances. Greta attended during the film screenings of ‚Wiedersehen mit Brundibár’ and ‚Mut zum Leben’, starring her survival story, at the Metro KinoKulturhaus, during two days. Over 600 school children and young people (also from Islamic schools) had the opportunity to see the films, meet her and ask questions. Winfried Schneider’s radio feature ‚Menschenbild’ was repeated on the Austrian radio and two pagelong interviews appeared in the newspapers, which alltogether – and with the help of many other institutions and organizations like Filmarchiv Austria, Musikmittelschule Wiener Neustadt and NEVER/FORGET/WHY – have created a strong impression.
.    Our advice  and expertise is still being asked for. Over 80 enquiries have been answered.
.    With the exeption of the parts that are still in Vienna, the stocks of the Orpheus Archive at the Archive of the Academy of the Arts have been filed completely now. The finding aids will be online soon.

Primavera Driessen Gruber with thanks to Susan Cohen-Ungar (English translation)


2013

With the help of some generous sponsors, including our longtime webmaster Peter Andritsch, the website of the Orpheus Trust in Austria, up to that moment serving as a medium for its successors' organization orpheus.news, was brought back into its original state, adding the activities of the first years, when the Orpheus Trust did not yet have its own website.
Now also a selection of articles from the ‚Orpheus-Supplement’ of the quarterly ‚Zwischenwelt’ can be found at the homepage of Orpheus Trust. Our beloved voluntary translator Kitty Weinberger has looked after the english version; during the coming weeks some parts of the additional english texts will be rectified and completed.

On May 1st 2013 also the new homepage of orpheus.news was ready and went online under www.orpheusnews.at. It took some months, before it could be found on search engines, and we still wait for some dreams to come true, but we are facing the future with confidence: We hope for some additional sponsors to help us to upgrade our activities as a gateway between research and performance.
The new website gives a current survey over concerts and other events, the latest publications, conferences and calls for papers in Austria and abroad, in a broad sense dealing with music and musicians from Austria, persecuted by nazism. It is worthwhile to visit it regularly: the event calendar can easily be accessed also by smartphone.
We will be very grateful for any financial support. In this connection we would like to remind you, that from February 1,  2014, it is obligatory to use IBAN and BIC for international payments.
Our IBAN: AT82 2011 1296 3098 6000; BIC: GIBAATWWXXX

Katharina Wolpe, Gertrud Seidmann, Edith Kraus, Ceija Stojka, Hans Landesmann and Marta Eggerth have passed away in 2013. Epoch-making personalities as they were, they will leave a gap, but for all that they continue to live as part of our history.

Recently the commemorations of the ‚November pogroms’ in 1938 have recalled the past and caused rising numbers of performances and memorial events. Beyond such 'anniversaries', our endeavour is a general 'return' of the musicians and their music, 'lost' by this country, and we pursue this goal in many different ways.
Thus orpheus.news has initiated and collaborated in events like the public conversation with Vienna-born composer Erika Fox (London), organized by the FrauenAG (Womens' group) in the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Exilforschung (Austrian Society for Exile Research). Erika Fox's music is still to be discovered in Austria.  Also the decoration of Elly Braun-Schlesinger with the honorary membership of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Exilforschung was initiated by Primavera Driessen Gruber and promoted by orpheus.news.

A selection of publications documents the ongoing research of board members; a chronological survey, updated regularly, can be found under 'Publications' (left side).
Heinz Lunzer as a member of the scientific committee of the International Soma Morgenstern-Conference in Toulouse and Primavera Driessen Gruber attended the conference as lecturers end of november, feeling honoured by the presence of Morgensterns son, Prof. emer. Dan Morgenstern. She also participated in the coordinating scientific committee of the International Conference ‚Exilforschung zu Österreich. Leistungen, Defizite und Perspektive’ of the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Exilforschung in spring 2013. An anthology of the conference presentations is likely to appear in 2014.
Reinhard Kapp is preparing a list of all symphonies and symphonic works from the 'Wiener Schule' (in the broadest sense), also due to appear in 2014. Until the end of this year Primavera Driessen Gruber will complete her systematic archival research for the ‚Austrian Biographical of Musicians, persecuted by Nazism'.

The inventory of the substantial estate of pianist Susi Lansky-Fischer - in private property, not owed by orpheus.news -  was coordinated by Primavera Driessen Gruber and realized in cooperation with Marleen Waltl and Christina Koestner. It was completed in spring; an article will be published in 2014.

The inventory of the archives of Orpheus Trust at the Archive of the Academy of the Arts in Berlin was also completed to the full extend by the end of this year. Finding aids will be accessible soon.

We look forward to welcome numerous visitors at orpheus.news, and we send our wishes for a good and happy New Year to our friends and visitors all over the world!


The Board of orpheus.news
December 31, 2013


Newsletter May 1st, 2013

Dear Friends of the Orpheus Trust / orpheus.news
Ladies and gentlemen,

This is just a short notice to let you know the website of the association 'orpheus.news', the successor's platform of the Orpheus Trust in Austria is online now and can be found as http://www.orpheusnews.at

It will announce a selection of events, concerts, conferences and exhibitions, mostly in Austria but also abroad, as well as new publications, recordings and other news. It will be actualized every week, so please send us your announcements.

The german version of the website of the Orpheus Trust http://www.orpheustrust.at has been updated, completed and brought back to its former appearance, documenting 10 years of dedication to the music and musicians from Austria or the former Habsburg empire, persecuted during Nazism. Our commitment continues, but it will take other forms. Since my research for the 'Austrian Biographical Handbook of Musicians persecuted during Nazism' continues and my colleagues have other duties too - most of our work is on a voluntary base - we have to restrict ourselves to what we feel is still urgent: transfer of knowledge and exchange of information.

As soon as the english translation for the website of the Orpheus Trust is updated too (we are waiting for our favourite translator to find some leisure), we will let you know.

And of course we do not want to bother you: if you're not interested to receive our newsletter once or twice a year, just answer with unsubscribe!

Kind regards from Vienna

Primavera Gruber Driessen
on behalf of the Board of orpheus.news





Elly Braun Schlesinger and Simha Arom, Jerusalem 2012, copyright Jerome Blumberg

Monday May 6, Mai 2013, 6 p.m.
Französisches Kulturinstitut, Palais Clam-Gallas, Salon Rouge, Währingerstraße 30, 1090 Vienna
Ceremony to award the Honorary Membership of the Austrian Society for Exile Research (öge) to
Mrs. Elly Braun Schlesinger, born 1924 in Vienna, escape-helper and life-saver.
Speakers:
H. E. Stéphane Gompertz, Ambassador of the Republic of France to Austria, Mag. Hannah Lessing, Secretary General of the National Fund of the Republic of Austria for Victims of national Socialism, Univ.Prof. Dr. Fritz Hausjell, President of öge
Laudatio: Prof. DDr. Simha Arom, Ethnomusicologist
Film-Preview (10'): 'Simha', Le Miroir Productions/CNRS, Director Jérome Blumberg
Organized by öge in cooperation with the Französische Kulturinstitut, upon recommendation of the Womens' Group in the öge
see also http://www.exilforschung.ac.at/aktuelles/Einladung_Braun_Schlesinger.pdf


2012

Newsletter July 2012

Dear members and friends of Orpheus Trust and orpheus.news.

On the occasion of the Austrian premiere of Joseph Beers operetta ‚Polnische Hochzeit’ (Libretto Fritz Löhner-Beda and Alfred Grünwald, world premiere 1937 at the Stadttheater Zürich) in the framework of the Wiener Operettensommer on July 19, 2012 at the Schlosspark Theresianum, Theresianumgasse 20, 1040 Wien, we would like to call your attention for this special 'recovery', which has taken place with some support from our side. (You might remember our exhibition ‚Douce France?’ and the anthology of the conference under the same title on music-exile in France).  Music publisher Doblinger has taken Joseph Beers operetta in its program,  Beers widow Hanna as well as his daughters from France and the USA will attend the Vienna premiere. Further performances in Vienna will take place on July 20, 21, 29. and 31. July.
We wish all participants a striking success!

We are content to have been able to advance research on music professionals with an Austrian background persecuted by nazism also in other ways, in order to have the music by these composers performed. Our website www.orpheustrust.at is one of the promotion tools aiming to popularize the lost musical heritage. It  will serve as an event agenda, to be weekly actualized, for concerts, exhibits, conferences and lectures. These events for the most part did not materialize with our support nor are they organized by our association, but they are rooted in common ground: they come from members and supporters of the Orpheus Trust and they preserve the spirit this association felt committed to. Please keep sending us your informations!

As assignees of the association Orpheus Trust we would also like to inform you on the completion of the inventarisation of the musical estates of the Orpheus Trust at the Archive of the Academy of the Arts in Berlin. They are open to the public now and can be found under http://www.adk.de/de/archiv/archivbestand/musik/index.htm?hg=musik&;we_objectID=25477).
Dr. Werner Grünzweig, director of the music archives and his team are most dedicated and cooperative. Besides numerous requests for music scores and sheet music, forwarded by us, we still recieve many research request, which I partially still answer directly. Other requests regarding the musical estates are forwarded to Berlin.  Since 2006 I could publish several scientific articles. Research for the 'Austrian Biographical Dictionary of Music professionals persecuted by Nazism is in an advanced stage, to be completed next year.

On November 6, 2012 at the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek in Frankfurt am Main the exhibition "So wurde ihnen die Flucht zur Heimat. Soma Morgenstern und Joseph Roth" will be opened. The exhibit is curated by Dr. Victoria Lunzer-Talos and long lasting Board member of both Orpheus Trust and orpheus.news Dr. Heinz Lunzer and designed by Büro unodue, Munich.  A catalogue will be published at Weidle-Verlag. Further information on the International Joseph Roth Gesellschaft, initiated by Heinz and Victoria Lunzer-Talos can be found under http://www.literaturhaus.at/index.php?id=6536&;L

Call for donations for the relaunch of our website
After the exhausting and in the end  ineffective attempts to secure an appropriate financial basis for the Orpheus Trust we - as the successors' organization orpheus.news  - decided to preserve and service its website with private donations only. Our preference goes to a clear distinction between the website of the 'historical' association Orpheus Trust, documenting its activities during the ten years of its existence, and a homepage for its successor orpheus.news, which besides its regular announcements of events should hold news, articles of association, names of Board members, annual reports, links to partner organisations,  information from the Orpheus-Archive in Berlin asf.  The connection between both organizations should be noticeable, also for people who at present are not aware of its history.
Our webmaster - and sponsor - for many years Mag. Peter Andritsch is prepared to realize this relaunch for net costs, but we need your help for it! We are asking for your financial support to realize this project. As a matter of course for smaller and bigger donations to our bank account - bank details Verein orpheus.news, Erste Bank, BLZ 20111, Kto Nr. 296 3098 6000 (IBAN AT82 2011 1296 3098 6000, BIC G1BAATWWXXX) you will recieve a confirmation, when you do not forget to note your name and address.
Donations of € 75,- and more will be mentioned at our website by name.

With our best thanks and summer greetings

Primavera Driessen Gruber
for the Board of orpheus.news


2010-2011

From the minutes of the General Assembly 2011

As the previous provider of the website of Orpheus Trust has quit his activity, we had to look for his replacement. It caused some disturbances, which have been successfully eliminated by our webmaster Peter Andritsch.

On the actualization of the website

A discussion on the wisdom of actualizing the website of the Orpheus Trust - Website for activities of the successors' organization ‚orpheus.news’ as well as linking it to activities and homepages of its members showed basic agreement on this objectives.

As the offer of our webmasters for a website for  orpheus.news as a part of the old website of Orpheus Trust (with mutiual links) surmounts our financial ressources, for the moment we have to abandon the idea Primavera Driessen Gruber was asked to actualize, complete and correct the old website - as far as possible - without too much alterations, as again and again we recieve enquiries, if the Orpheus Trust still exists, because visitors see the technical innovations and are confused. The 'old' website should document the ten years of activities of the  Orpheus Trust and be as much as possible complete. In the course of an error correction (the original text 'It is time to secure traces' had been lost) the start page has been put into operation as a platform for events, books and CD's. It will change every week. Projects and events of former members and supporters or colleagues, who have asked for information or helped us with that, referring to exiled musicians or shoah-survivors in the field of music will be announced that way.

Research, information and promotion

In research stays in the Netherlands, France and London numerous new clinks have been forged.

Members and Board members Heinz Lunzer, Gerhard Scheit uad Primavera Driessen Gruber have been present with lectures at the Theodor Kramer Gesellschaft resp. the FrauenAG der öge. Primavera Driessen Gruber is inspecting the registration files at the Vienna City and State Archive and will travel by the end of the year for a six weeks-trip to South-America . Heinz Lunzer continues to be active in the International Joseph Roth Gesellschaft.

As always numerous research requests have been answered. Some late , but positive reviews of ‚Douce France?’ have reached us,

On the initiative of Primavera Driessen Gruber two compositions by Joseph Beer  have been accepted by music pubisher  Doblinger.  Beers operetta ‚Polnische Hochzeit’ (Libretto Beda) will have its Austrian premiere at the Wiener Operettensommer 2012.

The German Gesellschaft für Exilforschung e.V. wil hold its 2012 annual conference ‚Quo Vadis Exilforschung’ in Amsterdam.  Primavera Driessen Gruber  in an article for the Nachrichtenbrief pleaded for intensified attention towards basic research. She also participates in the organizatscheduled for 2013.


2008-2009

From the minutes of the General Assembly July 2009

Cooperations

On May 30, 2008 a book presentation of 'Douce France? Musik-Exil in Frankreich 1933' took place in cooperation with the Österreichische Gesellschaft für Exilforschung (öge) at the Arnold Schönberg Center. Subsequently the book was presented in three other venues: the Literaturhaus Vienna, the Diplomatische Akademie in Vienna and the Austrian Embassy in Paris.

For the performance of the opera 'Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank' by Operntheater Sirene (Jury Everhartz) im in July 2008 we undertook part of the PR.

In October 2008 Prof. Dr. Clemens Jabloner (President of the Supreme Court for Administrative Jurisdiction) in the initiative of orpheus.news presented the Präsidentenkonferenz at MICA during the parliamentary enquete on music. He pleaded  for an extension of copyright terms for composers, oersecuted during nazism.

In November 2008 a performance of the childrens' opera Brundibár by Hans Krása in cooperation with the Lutheran Church and Rudolf Steiner-Schule took place.Contemporary witness Greta Klingenberg assisted; subsequently Greta Klingsberg was interviewed in a panel discussion with the Frauen AG at the DÖEW . She also participated in a lecture by Primavera Driessen Grubers at the conference 'November 1938. Gewalt, Gedächtnis, Kunst', of the University Graz in cooperation with the University for the Arts Graz.

In May 2009 another lecture and moderation of a panel on Hanns Eisler took place in the framework of the International Feuchtwanger Symposion in cooperation with the University Vienna.

Information and promotion

Heinz Lunzer informed the Austrian 'Vereinspolizei'  on  June 9th 2008 that the liquidation of the Association  Orpheus Trust had been completed; in Summer 2008 a last newsletter was sent out by 'snail mail'.
2008/09 five broadcasts (on Douce France?, Simha Arom, Greta Klingsberg), and a tv-feature on Greta Klingsberg have been inspired by the successors of the Orpheus Trust, providing the journalists with materials.
Primavera Driessen Gruber answered over 50 research requests: further enquiries could be forwarded to colleagues and other experts.
Orpheus.news participated in support actions for the Feher Music Center Beth Hatefutsoth and signed a  petition to the Lower House of German parliament for a historic correct 'Center for Displacements' (Hajo Jahn)
Informations about conferences, from the Archiv der Akademie der Künste Berlin (annual reports) and on the European Plattform were forwarded to members and Board Members.

Participation in the 'European Platform' initiated by Primavera Driessen Gruber':
January 2008 Symposion Festival Voix Ètouffées Paris, Primavera Driessen Gruber attending
(self-financed)
April 2008 London, Jewish Music Institute, shor lecture  Primavera Driessen Gruber on the archives of the Orpheus Trust (self-financed)
February 2009 Meeting Jüdisches Museum der Stadt Wien within the framework of the exihibit Hanns Eisler.
For financial and other reasons the Board has refrained from further participation.

Several requests to show the exposition 'Douce France?' unfortunately could not be realized for financial reasons. A project in Paris is still in discussion.

Report Werner Grünzweig, Archiv der Akademie der Künste Berlin
The inventarisation of the musical estates from the Orpheus Trust is completed, Werner Grünzweig pesents the hardback finding aids. The other parts of the archives of the Orpheus Trust will be gradually inventarised and made open to the public. The database of the Orpheus- Trust is not to be used, as its dates have become obsolete by later research. The building at Robert Koch-Platz will be reopened at the Beginning of August. A presentation of the integral inventory of the Archive of the  Akademie der Künste online is in progress.


2008

Newsletter Orpheus Trust/ orpheus.news April 22, 2008

Dear members of the Orpheus Trust,

the liquidation formalities of the Orpheus Trust will be completed by the beginning of June.
For this reason we would like to say thank you a last time for your long lasting support. At the same time we want to call your attention for a final project:

'Douce France? Musik-Exil in Frankreich / Musiciens en exil en France 1933 -1945' (Hg. Michel Cullin, Primavera Driessen Gruber, German/French, 508 p., 236 ill., Wien: Böhlau).

The integrally bilingual anthology holds the lectures of the international symposium 'Musikerexil in Frankreich' (Music-exile  in France) of the Orpheus Trust and will be presented to the public in Vienna during the following events, to which we kindly invite you:

.    Tuesday May 6, 2008, 7.30 p.m., Arnold Schönberg Center, 1030 Vienna, Schwarzenbergplatz 6, in the framework of the Academy of Exile of the öge:
Musik-Exil – Kulturtransfer – World Music
Lecture by Univ.Prof. Dr. Cornelia Szabó-Knotik; Univ.Prof. Dr. Reinhard Kapp and Dr. Primavera Driessen Gruber in conversation with contemporary witness and ethnomusicologist Univ.Prof. DDr. Simha Arom from Paris and book presentation 'Douce France?' (w.o.). Moderation: Univ.Prof. MMag.Dr. Hartmut Krones.
Afterwards Böhlau Verlag invites to a glass of wine.

.    Tuesday May 27, 2008, from 7 p.m. , Literaturhaus Wien, Zieglergasse 26A, 1070 Vienna, on the occasion of the  Joseph Roth-exhibition (Heinz Lunzer) at the anniversary of Roth's death:
7 p.m. Lecture Dr. Victoria Lunzer-Talos: Wie Jüdisch? Joseph Roth im Gespräch mit Joseph Gottfarstein und Eduard Broczyner
8 p.m. Lecture Dr. Erika Tunner (Paris): Joseph Roth in Paris. Rebellion und Resignation
9 p.m. Dr. Heinz Lunzer: Book presentation 'Douce France?'

.    Friday May 30, 2008, 7.30 p.m., Diplomatische Akademie Wien, Favoritenstraße 15a, 1040 Vienna, Book presentation 'Douce France?' by Boehlau Verlag:
Greeting words from Director Jiri Grusa (Diplomatische Akademie), H.E. Pierre Viaux (Ambassador of the French Republic), Dr. Peter Rauch (Böhlau Verlag), Introduction and moderation Univ.Prof. Dr. Michel Cullin, Round Table with Dr. Doron Rabinovici , Mag. Winfried Schneider, Dr. Primavera Driessen Gruber.
Maria Bill sings chansons of Edith Piaf, composed by Norbert Glanzberg, accompanied by Krzysztof Dobrek (accordeon) and Michael Hornek (piano).
Cheese and wine.

Not an end, but a new start

Although our aspiration to create a new project 'orpheus.news im mica', an
internet platform in cooperation with mica (music information center austria) for the present is not realized, because financial support by the government was not secured and we do not want to repeat our experiences with Orpheus Trust, we are looking with some optimism and satisfaction into the future.

During the parlamentary enquete of the Austrian National Council  Nationalrates entitled 'ZukunftsMusik. Aktuelle Herausforderungen und musikalische Entwicklungsperspektiven in Österreich' on June 3 President Univ.Prof. Dr. Clemens Jabloner will represent the concerns of Orpheus Trust and its successor organisation  'orpheus.news' regarding the extension of copyright terms for composers, persecuted by nazism.

An international cooperation, initiated by the Orpheus Trust in 2006 under the name 'European Platform' resulted in several meetings in Berlin, Paris and Londo. ,Orpheus Trust/orpheus.news was represented at these meetings by one of its Board members. As far as possible we will try to continue our participation in the future.

The inventory of the estates from the Orpheus Trust in the Archive of the Academy of the Arts in Berlin is progressing. The musical estates of Franz Steiner, Kurt List and Erwin Weiss are completely taken stock of and open to the public; the estate of Fritz Spielmann is under progress. A pubication about the materials of the Orpheus Trust (ed. Werner Grünzweig, Primavera Driessen Gruber) in the  'Archivblätter-series' of the Academy of the Arts Berlin is planned to appear. In summer 2008 also my article: Traveltalks in Music. Von Mahlers 'Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen' zu Eislers 'Hollywooder Liederbuch' und darüber hinaus, in: Johannes F. Evelein (Ed.): Exiles Traveling. Exploring Displacement, Crossing Boundaries in German Exile Arts and Writing, Amsterdam: Rodopi, is scheduled to appear, as well as further publications.

The successors' organisation of Orpheus Trust, 'orpheus.news - Verein zur Vermittlung von Informationen und Koordination von Aktivitäten zur vom Nationalsozialismus verfolgten Musik' is co-organizing the book presentations mentioned above and will be available for cooperations and requests for information, as far as time and financial resources allow for it.

Its Board members:
Dr. Thomas Dombrowski, President
Dr. Primavera Driessen Gruber, deputy-president
Dr. Heinz Lunzer, Secretary
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Reinhard Kapp, Deputy-Secretary
Dr. Felix Mayrhofer-Grüenbühl, Treasurer

At present our address will continue at Sigmundsgasse 11/4, 1070 Vienna, Tel. +43-1-5261905, or e-mail: orpheustrust@chello.at

The anthology 'Douce France?' for the first time highlights the music-exile from Austria respectively the successor states of the Habsburg Empire in France. In articles by musicologist and historians, experts and contemporary witnesses from France, Germany and Austria  for the first time ever complex situations are brought together, set in a new context and examined. The book not only constitutes the closure of ten years of activities of the Orpheus Trust and its heritage, it forms an important starting basis for further  research. During and after the book presentations Boehlau-Verlag will offer you the opportunity to acquire the book and secure your 'personal' keepsake with a subscription price of  39,- until June 30 . And ofcourse we will be happy to meet you in person there!

At the very end I would like to thank you once again, also on behalf of the liquidators Dr. Heinz Lunzer and Dr. Felix Mayrhofer-Grüenbühl and - a last time on behalf of Orpheus Trust - express our best wishes for this copious and unsettled spring and all seasons to come!

Sincerely

Primavera Driessen Gruber


2007

Newsletter Orpheus Trust / orpheus.news January 1, 2008

Ladies and gentlemen,
dear friends of the Orpheus Trust,
 
with this you will find some information on the Orpheus Trust and its succession,
together with our best wishes for a very Happy New Year!
 
At the Archiv der Akademie der Kuenste Berlin (www.adk.de <http://www.adk.de>;)
last year a stock-list of the musical estates from the Orpheus-Archives 'Franz Steiner' (109 items)
and ‘Kurt List’ (234 items) has been accomplished, both collections are open to the public now.
The inventory of the estate of Erwin Weiss (at the moment 937 items)
is soon to be completed, the estate of Fritz (Fred) Spielman(n) will follow.
 
In succession of the Orpheus Trust a new organisation,
'orpheus.news - Verein zur Vermittlung von Informationen und Koordination
von Aktivitäten zur vom Nationalsozialismus verfolgten Musik' (society for the
promotion and coordination of activities in the field of music, persecuted by national socialism),
has been established. In the next weeks our negotiations with mica
(Music Information CenterAustria, www.mica.at <http://www.mica.at>;) on cooperation
and funding should show results - we will inform you as soon as possible.
 
We are happy to bring to your attention the forthcoming publication ‘Douce France?
Music-exile in France 1933-1945’ (Ed. Michel Cullin, Primavera Driessen
Gruber, Wien: Böhlau 2008, german/french, 500 p., 200ill.).
The volume with a preface by the french ambassador in Austria, H.E. Pierre Viaux,
will contain contributions of Thomas Aigner, Albrecht Betz, Stefan Drees, Pascal Huynh, Rudolf Klein,
Hartmut Krones, Dominique Lassaigne, Heinz Lunzer, Eduard Melkus, Hubert
Pfoch, Laure Schnapper, Karin Wagner and the editors, and can be ordered in bookshops or
by internet (vertrieb@boehlau.at) by subscription at the special price of EUR 39,00
(valid until June 30, 2008; afterwards 49,90). Ofcourse we will be happy to forward your order
to the publishers – Douce France? is expected to appear by the end of march.
 
2008 will present many occasions to remind us of the criminal and tragic
events of the year 1938. For us, the music and musicians, suppressed by the nazis,
will stay part of our endeavours as before, with or without commemorative events,
with or without public support.
We very much hope you too will continue to follow attentively
the trails, we have sought to secure for so many years.

We wish you a Happy New Year and ‘Happy New Ears’ in 2008!
 
Primavera Driessen Gruber
Heinz Lunzer
Felix Mayrhofer-Grüenbühl


Verein orpheus.news
Sigmundgasse 11/4
A-1070 Wien
Tel/Fax: +43 1 526 1905
orpheustrust@chello.at
www.orpheusnews.at