A London church is celebrating the “often overlooked” cultural contributions of Jewish émigrés, who fled the Nazis during World War Two to start a new life in the UK.
St John’s Waterloo, which was the official church of the Festival of Britain in 1951, is marking its 75th anniversary by holding a programme of events, including a symposium on September 9 exploring “the large creative input of those from Jewish and other immigrant families”, said Euchar Gravina, the artistic director at St John’s Waterloo and its charity the Bridge at Waterloo.
Speakers include Naomi Games, daughter of the “official war poster artist” Abram Games, whose parents arrived as refugees from Russia at the turn of the century, and Sarah MacDougall, from Ben Uri art Gallery and Museum. The day will end with a song recital by tenor Norbert Meyn, who specialises in music connected to migration, accompanied by pianist Christopher Gould. The repertoire will tell the story of musicians who fled Nazi Europe in the 1930s.
Alongside this, St John’s Waterloo is hosting Music, Migration and Mobility, a touring exhibition by the Royal College of Music, which traces the journeys of émigré musicians from Nazi Europe. Visitors are able to listen to oral interviews via QR codes. The exhibition is free to visit in St John’s Old Crypt space until 9 October.
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