Iron & Coal
“gloriously spectacular and overwhelmingly beautiful” -DC Metro Arts
Co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects and Strathmore
“Iron & Coal” is a powerful and personal rock-opera by critically acclaimed composer and performer Jeremy Schonfeld. Taking inspiration from his father Gustav’s memoir “Absence of Closure,” Schonfeld traces his father’s attempts to create a life out of the ashes having spent a year in concentration camps at the age of ten. Schonfeld weaves memories of his own early childhood, his coming to terms with the death of his father Gustav and the birth of his own son. Now presented in a fully-staged production using original animation, cutting-edge projections, a rock band with an orchestra, a youth chorus, and a youth orchestra, “Iron & Coal” celebrates the indomitable spirit of our ancestors and the legacy we carry with us.
Filmed at the Music Center at Strathmore, enjoy this free concert and recorded talkback, through Saturday, May 1 here.
There will also be a virtual, live panel discussion with Music Director David Bloom, Director Kevin Newberry and Composer Jeremy Schonfeld immediately after the presentation, along with Chase Hopkins, general manager for the Haymarket Opera Company and artistic director for Opera Edwardsville.
Watch the trailer here.
Read the Strathmore program for full credits and information here.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This engagement is supported by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council and the Crane Group.
The Alestle and WSIE are Arts & Issues media sponsors.
