he Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival presents “The Songs of Ilse Weber”, at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, July 3 at the BAE Center at 64-1056 Mamalahoa Highway in Waimea. Featuring compositions by Ilse Weber, a lesser-known victim of the Holocaust, this award-winning program will be performed by Allie Brault, classical vocalist and expert on Jewish art song, accompanied by HPAF’s Rachel Copeland on piano and Nic Stark on guitar. Admission is free by reservation only. Contact Genette Freeman at freemangenette@gmail.com or call 303-221-0399. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and is quite limited.

Author, singer and songwriter Ilse Weber was born in the former Czechoslovakia, where she demonstrated many creative and musical talents before her life was violently interrupted by the rise of the Nazis during World War II. Following the annexation of her town to the Third Reich in 1939, Weber and her family experienced numerous acts of persecution, resulting in their imprisonment in Theresienstadt concentration camp; she remained there until 1944 working in the children’s infirmary, secretly composing poetry and songs to comfort the young prisoners. When the population of the children’s infirmary was to be sent East in 1944, Weber refused to abandon the children, and she voluntarily joined the transport to Auschwitz. She and her 6 year old son Tomáš were gassed on arrival. Her husband Wilhelm managed to hide her poems and songs by secretly burying them in a garden shed before their departure from Theresienstadt. Upon liberation of the camp in late 1945, he was able to retrieve them.

Allie Brault, a recent graduate of Penn State, earned the Professional Masters Excellence Award for her research, translation, pedagogy and performance of the poetry and music of Ilse Weber. Eight of Weber's songs survive, and Ms. Brault is dedicated to bringing attention to these works. In addition, she is creating the world's only complete online database of Jewish art song.

The Hawai’i Performing Arts Festival, a 501c3 nonprofit arts organization, will mark its 20th anniversary this summer. Talented aspiring artists from around the world gather in Waimea from June 27-July 22 to study and perform together, culminating in ten world class events. Visit www.hawaiiperformingartsfestival for complete performance information and tickets. HPAF contributes thousands of tourist dollars to Hawai'i Island’s tourist economy each year and grants scholarships to local youth. HPAF is proud to be one thread in Waimea’s rich cultural tapestry.