‘A Song for Esther’ is coming to Berlin for two nights in a row (6 June + 7 June, 2026). Tickets are selling fast!
This conceptual concert is a transient monument marking the absence of the late, great Esther Bejarano (1924-2021), who survived Auschwitz and Ravensbrück to become a legendary musician and antifascist activist. It seeks to connect the dots between fascisms of the past and fascisms of the present, as Esther would have wanted. The narrative homage is punctuated by a series of magnificent musical contributions:
I’m honoured to be joined on stage by Rasha Nahas, Lie Ning, Polly Ott, Aeham Ahmad, Lili Sommerfeld, Dejan Jovanović & Oana Cătălina Chiţu, Die Anstalt (seen in this slide), Lurje Judelman Shneyveys, Sialan Quartet, our special guests Bejarano & Microphone Mafia, and perhaps a surprise guest…
This will be an evening for laughing and crying together, for mourning and dreaming together, for reflecting on what agency is available to artists and musicians during times of genocide and repression. How might we collectively respond to the erosion of freedom of expression and intensifying restrictions on freedom of assembly in the face of rising fascism?
When we debuted this piece at Kampnagel in Hamburg late last year — in celebration of the 100th birthday of Esther — we could not have anticipated the full house and generous standing ovation that we received. It’s a joy to now be bringing ‘A Song for Esther’ home to Berlin.
With immense gratitude to the Bejarano family.
+
Candice Breitz
A SONG FOR ESTHER
HAU, Berlin:
6 June, 19h30
7 June, 19h30
English + German
Tickets now available at:
@hauberlin
+
Originally commissioned by
@stadtkuratorin_hh in co-production with
@kampnagel_hamburg with the generous support of
@sabinebrunckhorst and others who choose to remain anonymous.
📸
@jetmiridrizi_jetko 
