Lyrica Classic opens the second season of its acclaimed Muffled Voices Festival with the U.S. premiere of opera “Baruchs Schweigen” (Baruch’s Silence) by Ella Milch-Sheriff, one of the most celebrated living composers in Europe. Her works have been performed by leading orchestras and opera houses worldwide, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, the NDR Philharmonic at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Volksoper Vienna.
Based on Milch-Sheriff’s father’s Holocaust diary, Baruch’s Silence is a one-act chamber opera for eight soloists and chamber orchestra. The work explores inherited trauma, intergenerational silence, and the delicate path toward healing. Since its world premiere at Staatstheater Braunschweig in 2010, the opera has moved audiences in Austria, Israel, and Eastern Europe. This Maryland performance marks the opera’s historic American debut.
This powerful story will come to life under the direction of visionary Russian stage director Elizaveta Korneeva, known for her work with the Bolshoi, Mariinsky, Ural Opera, as well as the State Theatre of Hannover and Grand Théâtre de Genève.
The production will be conducted by Daiana Hoffmann, a guest conductor and rising star with credits across Europe and the Middle East.
Set and costume design is by Julia Orlova, whose visually striking productions have earned multiple Golden Mask Award nominations and recognition from the Berlin Fashion Film Festival, ESMoA Video Art + Film Festival, and BODYSCOPE Festival.
The cast features distinguished international soloists, including mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck (Volksoper Vienna, New National Opera Tokyo), baritone Jonathan Patton (The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera), and soprano Yulia Petrachuk (Carnegie Hall, Vienna Musikverein), bringing global artistic excellence to the Maryland stage.
The opera will be sung in German, with English supertitles provided.
Post-Show Reception
Join the post-show reception and celebrate the festival’s season launch! The post-show reception includes light refreshments and the opportunity to meet the artists.
**This is an add-on event, all attendees MUST have a ticket to the Muffled Voices Festival performance in order to attend the post show reception. There is a limited number of post-show tickets available.**
