Songs of Exile, Stories of Home, directed by Justin Butcher, with EVOCA Emsemble Vocale Cameristico conducted by Paola Grandini  was produced by Julia Holden, in association with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Italy and All Saints’Anglican Church Milan.

This very personal project for Julia, which took place on 2 May 2019, was in remembrance of holocaust victims and in support of Saint’Egidio Humanitarian Corridors for Refugees.  

The project combining songs and readings from the book, “Childhood in Berlin” 1927 – 1938, a collection of short stories by Max Newman and Eve Holden edited by Julia Holden  – provided a powerful reminder of the devastating effects of war and displacement on refugees families.

Humanitarian Corridors for Refugees has helped more than 1,800 people  – Syrian’s fleeing war – to arrive safely in Italy. It supports refugees fleeing persecution, torture and violence.  It works to grant legal entry to Italy for refugees in vulnerable conditions – in particular families with young children, the elderly and the infirm.  The project also rescues refugees from potential exploitation by human traffickers seeeking to profit from those fleeing war zones.

This concert, including a programme of live choral and chamber music with readings from her book, was also presented at St James’s Church, Piccadilly, in London, featuring the superb new London vocal ensemble, Almost Blue ( https://www.almostbluevoices.co.uk/about ).