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The Secret Poetess of Terezín: Lenka Lichtenberg Recital

Lenka in Performance
Sun, February 22, 2026
2:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Timashev Recital Hall, School of Music

1900 College Rd N, Columbus, OH 43210

The Secret Poetess of Terezín: Lenka Lichtenberg Recital

A musical performance by Canada’s JUNO Award winner Lenka Lichtenberg, based on notebooks written by the author’s grandmother in Theresienstadt during World War 2. The immersive multimedia event features songs, storytelling, spoken word, archival footage and videos.

Starring Lenka Lichtenberg. 

Directed by Leah Cherniak, multi-media Lumir Hladik. 

Based on notebooks Lenka’s grandmother wrote in Theresienstadt

  • “Excellent Show” (FringeReview, Edinburgh)
  •  "A moving show full of powerful spoken word and music without ever feeling heavy. Lichtenberg is at home on the stage...singing and reciting poetry, telling stories and playing the piano. She seems to float around the stage as her ethereal voice envelops the audience...The stories have a palpable intimacy, and the poetry shared is simply beautiful."  (United Solo Festival Review)
  • “Lichtenberg's voice is a treasure...simply stunning, despite the provenance." (Mojo Magazine)
  • “A magnificent show that brings a ray of happiness and hope to those attending”  (Kleztival, Sao Paolo)
  • "Beautiful music...a mellifluous cross-pollination of world music and jazz."  (Montreal Gazette)
  • Immerse yourself in a passionate story of love, loss, hope and dreams, evolving and dissolving under the pressure of monumental historical events. Savour the gorgeous music from album Thieves of Dreams that won Canada’s top music prize, the 2023 JUNO Award for Global Music Album of the Year. The intimate, intensely personal, yet ultimately universal narrative is based on notebooks written by the Czech-Canadian artist’s grandmother in Theresienstadt who was imprisoned there from 1942 to 1945, and the deeply-rooted family story behind it. Carried by Lenkas “breathtakingly beautiful” voice and engaging storytelling skills, history comes alive through songs, spoken word, archival projections, and specially curated videos to create a powerful narrative arc and immersive experience. 

Lenka Lichtenberg is a 2023 JUNO Award Winner, vocalist, composer, producer and cantorial and Yiddish singer. Since relocating to Toronto from her native Prague, the multilingual performer has released seven albums of her own and numerous collaborations with others. Her music, often a deeply spiritual celebration of her roots, transcends folk, jazz, global roots and classical genres and has won multiple awards and nominations. She tours internationally with her latest projects Thieves of Dreams and The Secret Poetess of Terezin, based on her grandmother’s WW2 notebooks. Lenka’s latest album Feel With Blood continues her exploration of art created during the Holocaust. 

Co-sponsored by: the School of Music

Supported by: the Dianne Cummins Community Education Fund

Located in: Timashev Recital Hall, School of Music, 1900 College Rd N, Columbus, OH 43210

Register Here

Registration is encouraged but not required. 

This is a free, public event and open to all.

If you have any questions, contact Tamar Becker, becker.905@osu.edu