Kathleen is a regular contributor to the Opera Journal, and to the Sacred in Opera on-line journal.

Recent Articles by Kathleen Roland-Silverstein:

Forgiving the Unforgivable: A Central Theme in the Holocaust

    • The Holocaust, one of the defining events amongst many such genocides of the 20th century, and the culmination of centuries of antisemitism (but not the end), has inspired an abundant response of creativity in the arts. Literature, song, opera, and film continue to be created from this seemingly inexhaustible source. Stories are told from numerous points of view of a horrific shared experience, yet each story is unique. The stories share a common thread: man's inhumanity to those deemed different and inferior. The singularity of Eva’s story in the opera, Eva and the Angel of Death, arises from two threads: that Eva and her sister Miriam were the subjects of Dr. Joseph Mengele’s infamous twin experiments, and that Eva ultimately forgave her tormentors.

The Dybbuk: An Archetype of Jewish Mysticism in Opera

    • Much has been written about the Holocaust, one of the defining events of the twentieth century, adding to the canon in film, literature, stage, and music (including opera). But the reduction of the Jewish experience to a single event, after thousands of years as a people, culture, and religion, can be frustrating. Before the Holocaust, there existed a vibrant culture of Jewish mysticism, identity, and spirituality. One of the primary iconic figures of this facet of Jewish spirituality, the dybbuk, has inspired many artistic works.

Jewish Opera: Weinberg's "The Passenger" and Principal Artist Daveda Karanas

    • Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s first opera, "The Passenger," is a searing Holocaust story, based on real life events. It was first presented in a radio play, "The Passenger from Cabin 45," and later recreated as an autobiographical novel by the author Zofia Posmysz (b. 1923), herself a World War II resistance fighter and camp survivor. It was Dmitri Shostakovich who discovered and shared Posmysz’ book with Weinberg, and later proclaimed his opera "The Passenger" a masterpiece.