I Never Saw Another Butterfly

ANNA Crusis Feminist Choir, Nashirah Jewish Chorale of Philadelphia and Jenkintown High School Belltones, will be presenting a moving and powerful performance of Charles Davidson’s “I Never Saw Another Butterfly.”

“I Never Saw Another Butterfly” is a song cycle that sets to music the poetry and art created by Jewish children imprisoned in the Terezin concentration camp during the Holocaust. Charles Davidson’s composition is a poignant and evocative tribute to the resilience and humanity of those who suffered there.

Terezin, a concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, was used by the Nazis as a propaganda tool to deceive the world about their treatment of Jews during World War II. Despite the horrific conditions, including hunger, disease, and torture, children in the camp were encouraged to create art and poetry. Many of these works were smuggled out of the camp by survivors.

Premiered in 1975, Davidson’s composition has since become a widely performed work that serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and humanity of those who suffered in the Holocaust. The music is haunting and evocative, with a sense of both sadness and hope. The texts are a poignant reminder of the creativity and humanity of the children who created them, and of the terrible loss that their deaths represent.

ANNA, Nashirah and the Belltones are proud to present this powerful work to celebrate the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable horrors. The performance will feature over 100 singers and talented instrumentalists, who will bring this moving work to life in a stirring and emotional performance.