Memorial Ceremony of the Vienna Philharmonic

On 28 March 2023, the Vienna Philharmonic held a memorial ceremony to remember its colleagues and their families who were murdered, persecuted, and exiled during the period of National Socialism and the Shoah. It took place in front of the house of former concertmaster Arnold Rosé and his family at Pyrkergasse 23, 1190 Vienna. The ceremony was attended by Prof. Daniel Froschauer, Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic, a brass ensemble of the Vienna Philharmonic, the President of the Jewish Community Vienna, Oskar Deutsch, the Chief Cantor Shmuel Barzilai and the Executive City Councillor for Culture and Science, Mag. Veronica Kaup-Hasler.

In cooperation with Univ.-Prof. DDr. Oliver Rathkolb, the Chairmen of the association "Stones of Remembrance for the Victims of the Shoah", DI Thomas Breth and Mag. Gerhard Burda, as well as the Cultural Office of the City of Vienna, the Vienna Philharmonic commissioned 17 commemorative stones, which were placed since spring 2022 in front of the last residences, which are listed as their addresses in the Vienna Philharmonic Historical Archives.

"Our commemoration is intended to be a clear and visible signal against forgetting and to contribute to returning to all our colleagues the honor that was at one time denied them. We are aware that today, even in the field of culture, we are not immune to injustice structures similar to those of that time. We have deliberately chosen this hour of commemoration on the day that marks the 181st anniversary of the birth of the Vienna Philharmonic. But it also points to the future and is to be understood as an appeal to present and future generations of musicians to remain vigilant and to assume social and democratic responsibility," says Daniel Froschauer, Chairman of the Vienna Philharmonic.