“We Are Here: Songs from the Holocaust” comes to Carnegie Hall featuring Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Andrew Lippa, Shoshana Bean, and more

“We Are Here”, a remarkable concert of music written inside the Nazi camps and ghettos, comes to Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall on January 26, 2023, to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day, observed the following day.

Featuring Tony and Grammy Award winners and nominees Harvey Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Shoshana Bean, Andrew Lippa, and Brenda Russell; pop stars Wendy Moten and Justin Jesso; renowned Cantors Daniel Mutlu, Danny Mendelson, Rachel Brook, and Yanky Lemmer; and His Eminence Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, this one-night-only event pays tribute to the artists murdered during the Shoah who, in the worst of times, continued to create.

Tickets can be purchased here. “We Are Here” is proud to be partnering with the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center (IHMEC) as our educational partner in this effort.

In the years after the Holocaust, Jewish artists collected and published fourteen songbooks of wartime music. This concert spotlights songs from each book and moving stories about the composers behind them, including tribute from living relatives. “What could be more important than giving voice to the voices that were taken from us?” said Ira Antelis, who had the idea to bring this music to the world. “In 1943, just before being sent to Auschwitz, composer Martin Rosenberg’s last wish was for his requiem to be sung so that the world would not forget. These artists never knew if their songs would be heard again, much less by thousands at Carnegie Hall. From heart-wrenching folk ballads to up-tempo satire, this music presents a powerful spectrum of the human experience.” 

The event is hosted by Rabbi Charles Savenor, who asserts: “Eighty years after the Holocaust, we strive to carry on their voices and songs, and honor their memories. This music reminds us as much about the Jewish people’s perseverance as the human will to hope. The diversity of voices in this concert constitutes a chorus of love and harmony when we need it most.”

Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, who will participate in the event, states: “We are extremely grateful to participate in this moving event as we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Amid the rise in antisemitism, both at home and across the globe, we must not remain silent. ‘We Are Here’ is both a tribute and a reminder that we must stand together and speak up – whether through words or music – in the face of prejudice and extremism to create a better world for all.”

Jan. 26th 7:30pm at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York City

Presented by Ira Antelis & Rabbi Charles Savenor 

Directed by Noah Himmelstein

Music Directed by Lee Musiker

Written by Emmet Smith and Ira Antelis

Executive Produced by Ira Antelis, Rabbi Charles Savenor, and Brannon Bowers 

Produced by Eric Wanger, Stacy LaVictoire, David Mendelson, David Kirshenbaum, Billy Jay Stein, Maddie Burton, and Bonny Dolan

For more info, video, and the full lineup of performers and presenters, visit wearehereconcert.com. Single tickets range from $36-108 and are on sale online at this link. Contact: wearehereconcert@gmail.com.