Comet Calendar
The Music of Memory: Reconstructing a Lost Repertoire
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 3pm to 4pm
Virtual Event
![Mr. Francesco Lotoro, Itan]lian pianist and musicologist known for recovering Holocaust-era music, in a portrait photograph.](https://localist-images.azureedge.net/photos/52532062711275/card/ee1f26a64e0597ba46a148fa74c997dc86fb509c.jpg)
Tuesday, April 14, 2026 3pm to 4pm
Virtual Event
Register for a virtual talk on the occasion of Yom HaShoah. The virtual lecture will be presented by Francesco Lotoro, an internationally renowned pianist, composer, and musicologist dedicated to recovering music composed in ghettos, concentration camps, and other sites of captivity during World War II.
Since 1988, Mr. Lotoro has led a global effort to locate, reconstruct, and perform these lost works, preserving a powerful yet often overlooked dimension of Holocaust history. He is the founder of the Fondazione Istituto di Letteratura Musicale Concentrazionaria in Barletta and the author of the multi-volume KZ Musik- a comprehensive 24-CD encyclopedia set.
Mr. Lotoro's talk explores how music created under extreme conditions functioned not as entertainment, but as a profound expression of inner life, resilience, and survival. Drawing on decades of archival research and performance, Lotoro reflects on the cultural and historical significance of this “concentrationary music” and its importance for understanding memory, identity, and artistic resistance in the twentieth century.
Virtual Event
Undergraduate Students, Faculty & Staff, Alumni, General Public, Prospective Students, Graduate Students, International Students
UTD strives to create inclusive and accessible events in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you require an accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact the event coordinator (listed above) at least 10 business days prior to the event. If you have any additional questions, please email ADACoordinator@utdallas.edu and the AccessAbility Resource Center at accessability@utdallas.edu.