Mark Ludwig

Biography

In 1982 Mark Ludwig became a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra viola section, a tenured position he continues to hold. Mr. Ludwig is the director and founder of the TerezÌn Chamber Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to assuring the permanence of the music written by composers who perished in the Holocaust. As the music and history of these artists are powerful tools in the ongoing struggle against racism and intolerance, the Foundation is committed to ensuring their appreciation by people of all beliefs and experiences. As a result of his research, Mr. Ludwig has performed and lectured worldwide on music from the Holocaust. A Fulbright scholar of the TerezÌn composers, he has written a number of essays and CD liner notes and has served as a consultant for cultural organizations internationally as well as for symphony orchestras such as Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia Orchestras. He has also participated as an artist and producer in compact disc recordings produced by the TerezÌn Chamber Music Foundation (www.terezinmusic.org). In the fall 2001, Mr. Ludwig was appointed Adjunct Professor at Boston College, where he teaches a Holocaust Studies course entitled Music in the Third Reich and the Holocaust.

Mr. Ludwigπs commitment to the education of children and adults alike has led to expanding the concept of interfaith concerts and lectures (which are presented in affiliation with the Terezin Chamber Music Foundation) to include a curriculum entitled "Finding a Voice: Musicians in Terezin" used in schools to explore the lives and music of composers who perished in the Holocaust. While this educational program encourages students to challenge their own unique artistic views, it also provides a forum in which issues such as intolerance, human rights and artistic freedom can be examined through music and discussion. In May 1999, the TerezÌn Chamber Music foundation was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant to complete this curriculum. Under Mr. Ludwigπs direction, the Foundation and Facing History & Ourselves (a national Holocaust education organization) collaborated on the development and distribution of this curriculum throughout the United States. The curriculum was released in October 2000.

Mr. Ludwig was recently appointed Adjunct Professor at Boston College where he lectures on music in the Third Reich and the Holocaust. In 1994 Mr. Ludwig produced and directed the retrospective, "Silenced Voices: Music Banned by the Nazis." This five-week exhibition and concert/lecture series was presented by Brandeis University in collaboration with the TerezÌn Chamber Music Foundation, and included internationally known scholars and performers examining and interpreting what the Nazis had labeled "Degenerate Art" (Entartete Musik). In addition to planning the event, Mr. Ludwig also participated as both lecturer and performer with the Hawthorne String Quartet and members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. Ludwig has been featured on a number of national television and radio programs in the United States, South America and Europe. Most recently, NPR, BBC World Radio and ABC World News showcased the work of Mr. Ludwig and the Foundation.

As a dedicated advocate of both orchestral and chamber music, Mr. Ludwig joined the viola section of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 1982 where he continues to be an active member. As a member of the Hawthorne String Quartet, he has performed extensively with concert tours in the United States, South America, Europe and the Pacific Rim. The quartet is currently featured in seven compact disc recordings. Their recordings have received the Preis der Schallplattenkritik Musik and Belgiumπs prestigious Cecilia awards. They began recording for the London Decca label in 1993.

Additionally, he founded the Richmond Performance Series in 1985 which in October 2001 became MusicWorks. This Berkshire-based chamber music concert series, of which Mr. Ludwig is artistic director, presents outstanding artists and ensembles in performances, pre-concert lectures and educational programs. Mr. Ludwig effectively synthesized these three venues in his development of the Richmond Performance Series Artists in Residency Program and Young Peopleπs Concerts. Through the Artists-in-Residency Program, gifted professional musicians from the BSO share their time, experience and expertise in one-on-one relationships with young student musicians in schools throughout Berkshire County. These artists coach and perform with the students for week-long intervals. They conclude each residency week with both in-school and community performances. Complementing the Artists-in-Residency Week programs, the Young Peopleπs Concert is a series of programs devoted to entertaining and educating young people and their families.

In November 1997, Mr. Ludwig launched the MusicFOR/Sarajevo project to rebuild the Music Academy of Sarajevo. In addition to bringing musical instruments and supplies to the conservatory, he coached and performed with students and faculty members. For additional information on MusicFOR programs: contact www.musicfor.org or call 617.730.8998.

Recently, in November 2002 the U.S. State Department requested Mr. Ludwig to produce fundraising concerts to assist flood relief efforts in the Czech Republic. Under their sponsorship and the honorary patronage of President Vaclav Havel , he produced a series of chamber concerts with the Hawthorne String Quartet in Prague Castle, the Prague Spanish Synagogue and in PamatnÌk TerezÌn.

DISCOGRAPHY (PRODUCER/CONSULTANT):

Chamber Music from Theresienstadt ≠ Channel Classics

.Silenced Voices CD - Northeastern Records

Haas and Kr·sa String Quartets ≠ London DECCA

Ervin Schulhoff Concerto for Solo String Quartet and Chamber Orchestra.

London DECCA

Finding a Voice: Musicians in Terezin ≠ TCMF Label

An Introduction to Entartete Musik - London DECCA

Concert for Terezin ≠ TCMF Label

DOCUMENTARIES (CONSULTANT):

Entartete Musik: The Birth of a Project

The Last Dance: Maurice Sendak and Philobolus

Terezin: life from death

FILM SCORES (CONSULTANT):

Schindlerπs List

PUBLICATIONS:

Book/Curricula:

Finding a Voice: Musicians in Terezin, Studley Press, 2000, Mark Ludwig and Phyllis Goldstein, Williamstown, MA.

Essays/Papers:

Silenced Voices: Music in the Third Reich. Journal from Boston College: Religion and the Arts, Volume 4-1, 2000, Leiden, Boston, Koln.

Silenced Voices: Music Banned by the Nazis, INDEX on Censorship, December 1998, London, UK

Entartete Musik, Recovered, Boston Symphony Orchestra, January to April, 1995, Boston.

Entartete Musik, Silenced Voices: Music Banned by the Nazis, Brandeis University Programs, October, 2-November 9, 1994, Brandeis University.

Pavel Haas String Quartet No. 3 Opus 15, Bote & Bock Publishers, 1996, Berlin, Germany

CD Liner Notes:

Music in TerezÌn, Haas & Krasa String Quartets, London Decca, 1994, London, UK.

Silenced Voices: Victims of the Holocaust, Northeastern Records, 1992, Boston, MA.

Chamber Music from Theresienstadt, Channel Classics, 1991, Amsterdam, Holland.

Edited Scores:

Pavel Haas String Quartet No. 1 Opus 3, Bote & Bock Publishers, 1994, Berlin, Germany

Pavel Haas String Quartet No. 2 Opus 7, Bote & Bock Publishers, 1994, Berlin, Germany

Pavel Haas String Quartet No. 3 Opus 15, Bote & Bock Publishers, 1996, Berlin, Germany