Opera Orlando will be presenting a double bill of Vedem, my oratorio with David Mason commissioned by Music of Remembrance, and Hans Krása’s Brundibár. The oratorio tells the story of the boys of Terezin and the secret magazine they wrote between 1942-1944 during their imprisonment in the ghetto. Opera Orlando’s performances will take place on December 12 (2 pm and 7:30 pm) and December 13, 2026 (2 pm) at the Universal Orlando Foundation Theatre.
Opera Orlando first presented excerpts from Vedem back on November 5, 2017, in partnership with the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra and the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida. This new production, directed by Kaley Karis Smith and conducted by Whitney Reader, will expand upon Indianapolis Opera’s March 2022 Vedem production concept, developed by Lori along with David J. Starkey and Matt Cooksey of Indianapolis Opera. In that production directed by Matt Cooksey, Vedem became intertwined with Brundibár, as the children of the Vedem chorus dispersed to become the inhabitants of the Brundibár community before returning to the starkness of Vedem. Incorporating themes from both works, I wrote music to transition from Vedem to Brundibár and back.
For more about the creation of Vedem, here is WETA’s April 2026 interview with me. For more about Opera Orlando’s upcoming production, please click here.