22 | OCTOBER 5 • 2023 J
N

OUR COMMUNITY

C

ongregation Shaarey Zedek will 
be hosting “Creating Shanghai 
Sonatas, a new American 
musical,” a 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, as 
part of its Soundstage Shaarey Zedek 
Series. This is a multimedia concert and 
behind-the-scenes glimpse about the 
creation of this musical work with its 
composer Sean (Xiang) Gao. 
This instrumental performance tells 
the story of the European Jews who 
escaped Nazi Germany to find refuge in 
Shanghai and went on to build a shared 
community with the Chinese who had 
been similarly persecuted under the 

Japanese occupation. 
Today, when discrimination against 
both Jews and Asians is on the rise, this 
uplifting story has renewed relevance 
by illustrating how two very different 
groups of people can come together 
through a shared love of music.
Gao is a concert violinist, composer 
and concert producer. He serves as 
the Trustees Distinguished Professor 
of Music at the University of Delaware 
and is the founder of the University 
of Delaware Master Players Concert 
Series and its ensemble in residence, 
6-WIRE Trio. Gao was named as one of 

Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals 
in 2021 and has performed to sold-out 
audiences at Carnegie Hall and with 
symphonies all over the world. 
The JN spoke with Gao about his 
upcoming performance.

JN: What can you tell us about this 
performance?
Gao: I’m so looking forward to Oct. 
19, bringing my 6-WIRE Trio and 
joined by four other amazing guest 
artists from the University of Michigan, 
my alma mater, to share the history 
and the inspiration behind Shanghai 

The story of how Jewish refugees from Europe 
and the Chinese community in Shanghai built a 
common culture based on music.

SUSAN KOZIK KLEIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

 Creating 
Shanghai Sonatas

Cathy Yang, 
Sean Gao and 
Matt Brower

