In association with:

Jewish Museum Vienna

QWIEN (Centre for queer history)

Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in Vienna

The musical Briefe von Ruth (Letters From Ruth) by Gisle Kverndokk and Aksel-Otto Bull received its world premiere in 2023 and focuses on the life of Ruth Maier (1920–1942). Maier, a Jewess from Vienna, managed to escape to Norway in 1939. In November 1942 she was arrested there, deported to Auschwitz and murdered. Numerous letters and her detailed diary tell the story of a life that ended far too early and a tragic fate. In the symposium Leben und Lieben in Zeiten des Hasses (Living and loving in times of hate) we aim to shed light on all the issues that were central to the life of the “Norwegian Anne Frank” and are still a long way from being resolved in today’s society: anti-Semitism, hostility towards those identifying as queer, and violence towards minorities. Taking Ruth Maier’s life and her passion for theatre and literature as a starting point, the symposium will feature talks, readings and panel discussions along with artistic inputs to show the key role played by music, theatre and poetry in promoting tolerance.

Day ticket: €10
 

Speakers:

Winfried Garscha – DÖW (Dokumentationsarchiv des österreichischen Widerstandes):
Wien–Oslo–Auschwitz: Zu Biografie und Schicksal Ruth Maiers.

Ingeborg Helleberg – Universität Oslo:
Abstand und Gemeinschaft in den Briefen von Ruth Maier

Michael Haas – Exilarte / Zentrum für verfolgte Musik:
Künstler im Exil am Beispiel des Komponisten Walter Arlen

Runar Jordåen – Universität Bergen:
Queere Geschichte Norwegens – eine kurze Einführung

Gisle Kverndokk / Aksel-Otto Bull - Komponist / Librettist von BRIEFE VON RUTH
Philipp Moschitz – Inszenierung BRIEFE VON RUTH

Dorothea Maria Müller: Reading
Magdalena Anna Hofmann: Soprano

Moderation: Christian Schröder / Moderation panel discussion: Hannes Sulzenbacher