IT'S NOW OR NEVER: SONGS OF HOPE AND RESILIENCE to Premiere at The Goldrich Cultural Center
Performances will take place November 4 and 5.
The Goldrich Cultural Center will present the world premiere of 'It's Now or Never: Songs of Hope and Resilience,' an original musical tribute to legendary Holocaust survivor Renée Firestone, Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at 7:30 p.m.
The innovative performances bring Firestone's remarkable life to the stage through music, storytelling, original arrangements and the debut of a song cycle written in her honor. The Goldrich will also host daytime performances for students.
'It's Now or Never' traces Firestone's journey from pre-war Europe through the Holocaust to the life she built in America as a celebrated fashion designer and advocate for Holocaust education and remembrance. The program follows the different chapters of her life through music, incorporating works by composers murdered at Auschwitz, Yiddish songs, and German lieder and jazz and musical theater selections.
A highlight is a Yiddish reimagining of the Elvis Presley classic 'It's Now or Never,' tracing the melody back to the Italian song 'O Sole Mio,' and bringing new urgency to the tune that inspired the program's title. Another key moment is the combination of the Yiddish song 'Ale Brider' with Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy,' uniting two musical expressions of solidarity and shared humanity.
The centerpiece of 'It's Now or Never' is 'A Room of Light,' a new song cycle by composer Michael Schachter and Grammy-winning librettist Gene Scheer, drawn from Firestone's experiences. The new work transforms Firestone's individual memories into song, giving musical expression to experiences spanning persecution, survival, rebuilding and the responsibility of bearing witness.
'It's Now or Never' features performances from internationally acclaimed Grammy Award-winning countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen and baritone and cantor Simon Barrad. The creative producer and pianist is Ronny Michael Greenberg; and the chamber ensemble performers are Leah Zeger (violin and vocals) Joshua Ranz (clarinet), Ted Atkatz (percussion) and Ted Botsford (double bass).
The production is created in collaboration with JIVE - Jewish Innovative Voices and Experiences, a groundbreaking music group celebrating the depth and diversity of Jewish musical traditions while bringing fresh perspectives to cultural storytelling. JIVE was co-founded by Cohen, Barrad and Greenberg.
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