The Gernsheim-Duo
devotes itself to the songs of Jewish composers who were active before the Holocaust and are forgotten today. It was founded in 2015 by soprano Anna Gann and pianist Naoko Christ-Kato. Both musicians maintain an extensive solo concert career.

Anna Gann, born in 1973, grew up in the Hanover region. With a degree in Catholic theology, she is the author of several ARD radio features about Judaism. She received her vocal training in Münster and Hanover. Gann has been a prizewinner of the Euregio Vocal Competition in Wisch, the Netherlands, performed works for soprano, flute, and harp for the Norddeutscher Rundfunk, and given guest appearances at the Göttingen International Handel Festival.

Naoko Christ-Kato was born in 1976 in Yokohama and studied piano in Tokyo, Hanover, and Lübeck, where she graduated with the Artistic Concert Exam. She is the winner of the Young Artist Piano Contest and the Best Players Contest in Japan. In 2004 she premiered the piece Invention & Etude by American composer Michael Tenzer (born 1957), and in 2009 she recorded Tenzer’s work Let Others Name You on CD.

With their programs, the Gernsheim-Duo recall the fl ourishing Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust. They hope to make heard once again a part of the riches that were lost. They are also committed to ensuring that works of forgotten Jewish composers are not only performed in special and memorial concerts, but also find their way into normal concert programs.

In addition to the songs of Friedrich Gernsheim, their extensive repertoire includes works by Karl Goldmark and Salomon Jadassohn, among other composers. The ensemble has performed at the Jewish-Israeli Cultural Days in Thuringia and in cities such as Hanover, Kassel, Meiningen, Hiroshima, and Tokyo.