Walter Kaufmann: Most heard but least known Jewish composer

Walter Kaufmann: Most heard but least known Jewish composer

Yoav Ben Shlomo • Bristol

Walter Kaufmann (1907–1984) was a Jewish-born composer, conductor, musicologist, and educator whose life was profoundly shaped by the political upheavals of the 20th century. Born in Karlovy Vary (then Karlsbad), he studied composition in Prague and continued his musical education in Berlin. However, because of his Jewish ancestry, he was forced to leave Germany in the early 1930s and flee into exile which fundamentally altered both his career and personal life. Little has been written about his life and there still remain relatively few recordings of his works. Learn more about his fascinating life and some of the other holocaust composers who were less fortunate as well as hearing some of Kaufman‘s eclectic compositions.

Yoav Ben-Shlomo is a lover of music, including classical, jazz and klezmer. He has collected classical pieces inspired by Jewish themes and composers over the years and loves to share his love of music with others.