The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz

In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra should be formed among the female prisoners. Almost 50 women and girls were assembled to play marching music to other inmates and to give weekly concerts for Nazi officers.

For almost all the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra was to save their lives. Explore how and why the orchestra was formed, its role in the death camps and the inspiring stories of its members.

Anne Sebba FRSL is an award-winning biographer, historian and author of books including That Woman: a biography of Wallis Simpson, and most recently The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz. She is a former chair of Britain's 10,000 strong Society of Authors and an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society regularly giving talks to audiences worldwide.

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