Here is an organization that is working to strengthen community locally and globally. The Terezin Chamber Music Foundation was founded in 1991 by a Boston Symphony Orchestra violist, Mark Ludwig, to assure the permanence of the music written by composers who perished in the Holocaust and to pursue the goal of promoting understanding and tolerance in the world. Some of Europe’s most gifted musicians, composers such as Pavel Haas, Gideon Klein, Hans Krasa and Viktor Ullmann were sent to Terezin concentration camp and were executed by the Nazis before their promising careers were realized.

Their work over the years has shifted from preservation to educational applications. From several performances with the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Montreal and Berlin Symphony Orchestras to educational programs such as presentations, public lectures, teacher training, college courses at Boston College and a summer institute in the Berkshires (PEACE Institute) the TCMF has helped to ensure these compositions’ inclusions in the 20th century orchestral repertoire and promoted understanding and tolerance in the world through their educational initiatives. For example, a CD produced in collaboration with Facing History & Ourselves has reached over 900,000 middle and high school students per year in the U.S. Their success doesn’t stop there. They are also aggressively pursuing collaborations on a local and international scale. If supporting an organization that strengthens the human spirit and encourages greater cultural understanding excites you, then this organization is for you. Give now.