Holocaust Memorial Day marked in Chichester

The heroic actions of a British humanitarian who rescued Jewish children from Nazi rule will be celebrated at an event led by conductor and composer Carl Davis in Chichester Cathedral.

Davis will conduct his own The Last Train to Tomorrow in Chichester Cathedral on Wednesday, January 27, at 7.15pm.

Tickets are free but need to be booked in advance.

The tribute to Sir Nicholas Winton, who organised the safe passage of 669 young people from occupied Europe to Britain, prior to the start of World War Two, is part of Holocaust Memorial Day.

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The evening will include a performance by the University of Chichester Chamber Orchestra and Symphonic Choir, conducted by Davis, and an enactment from the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre.

Crispin Ward, head of orchestral studies at the university, will also conduct several short pieces by European composers including Erich Korngold, Czechoslovakia, the departure point for the trains that carried the young people to freedom, and Gerald Finzi, England, their destination.

The performances will follow a tribute to Sir Winton from Lady Milena Grenfell-Baines and a personal testimony from Helenka De Coutere (nee Eisinger), who owed their lives to the remarkable rescue.

Professor Hugo Frey, head of the department of history and politics at the university, said: “We are marking Holocaust Memorial Day in partnership with Chichester Cathedral and citizens of West Sussex through a performance of the staged oratorio The Last Train to Tomorrow, composed and conducted by Carl Davis.

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“This performance will commemorate the rescue of 669 children in Czechoslovakia before the outbreak of World War Two by Sir Nicholas Winton.

“This significant Holocaust Memorial Day event is also an opportune reminder of the terrible suffering in the world that persisted after 1945 and the need for continued dignified humanitarian thought and action.

“There will be a retiring collection in support of international charity Save the Children.”

Admission is by ticket only. Tickets are free for all.

Booking in advance is essential from the Chichester Cathedral box office on 01243 813595 or, alternatively online at www.chichestertickets.co.uk/item/last-train-to-tomorrow.

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