Dresden, Germany had always been synonymous in my mind with the senseless devastation of war. I knew that the once-lovely city had been largely rebuilt since WWII but I was wholly unprepared for the breathtaking beauty and grace of the city center, where extensive renovations have restored many of the famous landmarks to their former […]

A paparazzi scrum. A sea of rainbow umbrellas. The German premiere of a vital mini-opera about the Holocaust. And an utterly charming song about penguins. OK, let me explain. On June 19, about 125 of us converged on Berlin for the first leg of our four-city tour through Germany. In addition to about 75 singing […]

An 80-year-old man tries to forget the cruel pain of his past. The ghost of his young boyfriend gently urges him to remember. For a Look or a Touch, a stunningly beautiful mini-opera about the fate of two gay lovers in Nazi Germany and the redemptive power of memory decades later, debuted in Seattle’s Benaroya […]

The German word for love is “liebe.” It’s only fitting that a labor of love about an enduring love affair – the mini-opera For a Look or a Touch — will finally be showcased in the setting for this story: Germany. The idea of a German tour sprang from SMC’s 2011 performance of the powerhouse […]