Visiting the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was an emotional time for the president of the Hendricks Chapel Choir, Anna Lilikas.

“I was speechless. I was angry and sad at the same time. Angry because I didn’t understand how we could have let this happen and sad because the world lost so many lives because of it,” said senior communication sciences and disorders and music education major Lilikas in an email, describing her time visiting the site while on tour with the Hendricks Chapel Choir.

Under the direction of John Warren, associate professor of music in the Setnor School of Music in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Hendricks Chapel Choir brought its choral music to Europe from May 15-23. The choir toured Germany and Poland, visiting important historical sites such as Auschwitz during their trip.

Comprising nearly 40 singers from various majors and accompanied by Kola Owolabi, an associate professor of music in Setnor and the university organist, the choir traveled through Europe, performing at several stops along the way. These places included the Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, Germany; Loschwitz Parish Church in Bauzen, Germany; University Church in Wroclaw, Poland; and St. Catherine’s Church in Krakow, Poland.

Freshman music major Rachel Heyman said singing authentic European music in the country in which it was created helped the choir appreciate other cultures, values and traditions.

“The purpose was to not only experience these different cultures, but to also bring American music to Europe and sing European music in its home, where we can better understand it by experiencing the culture,” she said in an email.

When the choir wasn’t performing in its weeklong tour of Germany and Poland, its itinerary was filled with activities that helped the group understand other cultural aspects of the two countries.

For Heyman, one particularly emotional moment was visiting Auschwitz.

“It was hard. Hard to take in why or how this was allowed to happen, hard to come to terms with, and hard to wrap my mind around the tragedy and devastation that occurred there,” she said.

The Hendricks Chapel Choir goes on a European tour every four years, not only to make sure that each student has an opportunity to travel while at Syracuse University, but also to represent the school and the choir internationally.

The trip was a part of the choir’s yearlong study of choral music under genocide, in which the group examined choral music written about genocide, its meaning, how it affects them and how to perform it. It was the choir’s way of raising awareness about genocide that is still going on today.

According to Lilikas, the choir president, the choral study of genocide began in September when the choir visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and continued as they performed a concert in April with the Syracuse University Oratorio Society and Symphoria called “Kaddish I Am Here.” This performance was in observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, which celebrates life after surviving the Holocaust.

The weeklong European tour also signified the choir’s last performance with their conductor, Dr. John Warren, who will not direct the choir next year, but Warren said in an email that he was excited about the opportunity to travel.

“The best part was sharing the experience with the students, chaperones and friends. It was an incredible group of people,” he said.

The group performed various musical pieces on the tour, including work by European composers like Johann Sebastian Bach, Hans Leo Hassler, Henryk Górecki and Johannes Brahms, as well as some American music, which included African American spirituals, a Shaker tune and a Broadway piece.

Lilikas said the choir ended each concert with a song called, “The Lord Bless You and Keep You,” by Peter Lutkin, sung in either German or Polish, depending on the country in which they were performing. Singing this Judeo-Christian prayer blessing at the end of each performance is a Hendricks Chapel Choir tradition that was started long ago and has been passed down from choir to choir through the years.

Some choir members said they felt their most passionate performance was at St. Catherine’s Church in Krakow, the day after they visited Auschwitz. Lilikas said visiting the concentration camps greatly affected her performances.

“I cried because I could not believe the cruelty of man and did not know where to look to find hope. Thankfully, I found hope in the survivors and how they have decided to live their lives trying to make a difference in this world by educating anyone and everyone they can.

“As far as singing — well, singing after experiencing something like that — will never be the same.”

Published on June 2, 2013 at 9:34 pm