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TRANSPORT XXI

Following my graduation in 2021, I organized a concert called “TRANSPORT XXI” for the benefit of Amnesty International. The name TRANSPORT XXI refers to the deportation trains of the former German assembly camp Kazerne Dossin in Mechelen, but it is placed in a contemporary, twenty-first century context. The concert concluded with the work for string orchestra, named after the title of the project, TRANSPORT XXI. This is also the culmination of the story with which actor Johannes Wirix-Speetjes bundled the performance.

Human Rights

Kazerne Dossin is a center that today conveys a twofold message to its visitors. In addition to commemorating the deportation of Jews during the Second World War, attention is also paid to the violation of human rights in the present time. Amnesty does that too. During a visit to Kazerne Dossin we were allowed to dive into the rich archives, full of testimonials and registrations of people who survived the holocaust. That is how we came across the story of Fanny Kornblum (1926-2004). She was a violinist who was transferred with Transport XXI, the twenty-first deportation transport from Mechelen to Birkenau. She survived this. In the performance Transport XXI we want to highlight the then and the current violation of human rights. At present, for example, there is still oppression against Uyghurs, a Muslim minority in China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Testimonials from then and now form the common thread of the performance.

The Musical Team

  • Noah Senden – Concept and Composition
  • Simon De Paepe – Conductor
  • Johannes Wirix-Speetjens – Narrator
 
  • Ensemble conducted by Simon de Paepe
    with Students Royal Conservatoire Antwerp:
  • Violin I: Vera Werkman, Iola Cornelis, Noémie Saintandré, Kasper Delrue, Maïté Wenda
  • Violin II: Eleni Giovanis, Pieter Van den Branden, Ebert Rens, Isabel Dhallé
  • Viola: Ana Sofia Sousa, Raquel Sanchez Gonzalez, Francisca Barata Feyo
  • Cello: Yuri Kang, Shuya Tanaka, Xavier Mas
  • Double bass: Orion Lavin Martinez

  • Audio recording – Motor Music Mechelen
  • Video recording and directing – Jeremiah Joél