Musical Performance: The William Cooper March

Commemorating 80 years since the liberation of the first concentration camps, this musical performance shines a light on the story of Yorta Yorta man William Cooper and the Australian Aborigines' League petition against Kristallnacht – The Night of Broken Glass.

Featuring new compositions by one of Australia’s leading yidaki players and composers, William Barton, and renowned composer and pianist, Elena Kats-Chernin AO, this performance will give audiences an insight into an important chapter of Australia’s First Nations history.

The performance will also feature music by Erwin Schulhoff, an Austro-Czech composer and pianist who was killed during the Holocaust, and Chris Sainsbury, whose piece The Arrival tells the story of Polish refugees arriving in Australia after the Second World War.

This event is part of the Music of Memory series(opens in a new window), which will culminate in a performance at Hamer Hall on 31 October.(opens in a new window)

This concert is designed to promote healing and deeper understanding of historical trauma resulting from the Holocaust, however, please note that the performance does contain themes that may be distressing to some audiences.

This program was developed in partnership with the Australian War Memorial.