Viktor Ullman’s opera "Der Kaiser von Atlantis" was written while he was incarcerated at Theresienstadt during WWII but never performed because the Nazis caught on to his satire of Hitler in the plot. Ullmann died at Auschwitz, but his opera has been increasingly popular with three commercial recordings and multiple performances around the world including March 30th through April 2nd at CMU Opera. Conductor Sara Tarana Jobin and Director Karina Aviva Benjamin joined Jim Cunningham to discuss the opera which takes place in the Fred Rogers studio at WQED. Here are the details from CMU: Der Kaiser von Atlantis Viktor Ullmann, composer Peter Kien, libretto Tarana Jobin, conductor Karina Aviva Benjamin, director Showtimes: Thursday, March 30, 2023 | 8:00 PM Friday, March 31, 2023 | 8:00 PM Saturday, April 1, 2023 | 8:00 PM Sunday, April 2, 2023 | 2:00 PM Der Kaiser Von Atlantis was the only surviving opera written in any of the camps during the Holocaust. It was a collaboration of two Jewish artists (writer and composer) who were acutely aware of the horrific genocide against the Jewish people, including themselves. They wrote this as a processing of this unimaginable moment, being faced with their own mortality and gaslit as to their own classification as human beings. We as contemporary audiences bear witness to the almost necessary comedic flairs that accompany utter despair in this hauntingly beautiful grasping of the meaning of life. Cost: $10 Regular Admission $5 Senior Citizen (65+) Admission All students, along with CMU/Pitt faculty and staff, are free w/ valid ID.