Brundibár Arts Festival in Newcastle and Gateshead

Original poster for Hans Krása's   Flašinetář Brundibár
Organ-grinder Brundibár (Bumble Bee).

Founded in 2016, the Brundibár Arts Festival runs from 30 January to 7 February 2017 in Newcastle and Gateshead. The UK's first recurring festival devoted to the music and arts of the Holocaust, artistic director Alexandra Raikhlina (sub-principal first violin with the Royal Northern Sinfonia) wants to showcase the little known music written during the Holocaust.

The festival opens on 30 January with a recital by Katya Apekisheva, Simon Wallfisch and members of Royal Northern Sinfonia in music by Weinberg, Schulhoff, Ullmann and Krása, and closes on 7 February with Natalie Clein, Jack Liebeck, Krzysztof Chorzelski and members of Royal Northern Sinfonia in sextets by Brahms, Schulhoff and Schoenberg, along with the world premiere of the festival commission, a new string sextet by emerging composer Frederick Viner, winner of Sage Gateshead Mozarts of Tomorrow Composers Competition.

In between there are masterclasses, klezmer, schools workshops, Jessica Duchen's play about Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time and an exhibition and documentary screening about Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat, often named the "Japanese Schindler" who saved over 2,000 Jews during the Holocaust earning him the title "Righteous Among the Nations".

The festival is named for Hans Krása's children's opera Brundibár. Full details from the festival website.