Maestro Francesco Lotoro, an Italian musician who for more than 30 years has devoted himself to recovering the music composed by the victims of the concentration camps, remembered the victims of the Shoah at the Concert for Peace, as reported by the Chamber in November 2019. In his performance he also paid tribute to Costa Rican musicians and composers.
Recovering the music composed in the concentration camps
Shoah is the Hebrew term for the Holocaust, the genocide of some six million Jews perpetrated by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II.
In his search for the music written in the camps, Lotoro visited hundreds of libraries and archives and interviewed Holocaust survivors. All of this resulted in the location of some 8,000 pieces of music, including scores written on scraps of toilet paper and newspaper, composed in both Axis and Allied camps.
Honors for Francesco Lotoro’s work
In recognition of his work, the maestro has received high honors, including:
- “Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters”, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture.
- The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Tribute to Costa Rican music at the Concert for Peace
At this edition of the Concert for Peace, Maestro Francesco Lotoro paid tribute to Costa Rican musicians and composers by performing one of Costa Rica’s best-known musical gems: «El Duelo de la Patria».
The Concert for Peace is the cultural event that the Costa Rica Support and Promotion Office (OSPCR) organizes every year in Jerusalem to commemorate the abolition of the Costa Rican army and to showcase Costa Rica through its culture.
The Chamber, memory and culture
The Israel Ibero-America Chamber of Commerce (CILIB) supports cultural initiatives that bring Israel and the Ibero-American countries together. Learn more about the Concert for Peace and in the country profiles of Israel and Costa Rica.
