Composed by Ruth Fazal, Oratorio Terezin is a full length work scored for orchestra, childrens choir adult choir and three vocal soloists. Set in the context of the Holocaust, using children's poetry which miraculously survived from the ghetto of Terezin, ( I Never Saw Another Butterfly) woven together with passages from the Hebrew scriptures.

Over 15,000 children passed through Terezin, of whom only one hundred survived.

The poignant innocence of their poetry, set against the cry of 'How long will the wicked exult?' causes us to come face to face with the testing of faith, in the context of unspeakable human suffering and deprivation.

The musical style is both dramatically intense, and sweetly lyrical. The juxtaposition of the children's and adult's voices, along with those of the Voice of the Prophet, the Voice of God and the Voice of Suffering create the tension found in the midst of feelings of rejection and abandonment alongside the hope deep within the human heart that all will be well.

The world premiere of Oratorio Terezin took place on November 1st and 2nd 2003, at the Toronto Centre for the Performing Arts. A European tour took place in March 2004, visiting the concert halls of Prague, Brno, Vienna and Bratislava. In May 2005 a tour of Israel included Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Karmiel, with the great privilege of being the main cultural event of Holocaust Memorial Day in Tel Aviv on May 5th, 2005.  The US premiere of Oratorio Terezin took place in February 2007 at the Tilles Centre on Long Island, and at Carnegie Hall, New York City.

A recording of the premier performance is available, as well as copies of the vocal score. A full score may be purchased directly from the composer.

Radio Interview from Israel 2005