The Biberach Youth Orchestra performed alongside the Guernsey Choral and Orchestral Society, Guernsey Chamber Choir, Bel Canto, Guernsey Music Service students from Cantabile and the Youth Orchestra, and other local singers and musicians.
The concert at Beau Sejour featured works by local composers and islanders who were interned in German camps.
‘Music has played a key role in building our relationship with Biberach,’ said GCOS conductor Rachel Wright.
Hear more from Rachel Wright on the latest Guernsey Press Arts Podcast
‘Many of the musicians who are taking part in this concert have visited the town to perform over the years, and it is particularly important to involve our young people in this event. When I was choosing the programme, I wanted to find music that will remember, celebrate and commemorate our relationship with Biberach and the island’s liberation.’
Guernsey and Biberach signed a Framework of Friendship, based on the twin towns model, on Liberation Day, commemorating their shared past and looking towards a shared future, built on collaboration and reconciliation.
The Framework of Friendship marks the formalisation of a relationship that began in the aftermath of the Second World War. Nearly 1,000 residents of Guernsey were deported to Biberach during the German Occupation and interned at Camp Lindele. In the decades that followed, what was once a painful connection has evolved into a lasting friendship built on mutual understanding and compassion.
The first official visits between former deportees and the people of Biberach began in 1997, leading to the creation of strong civil and cultural ties between the two communities.
‘The inclusion of Biberach in this year’s Liberation commemorations highlights the remarkable strength of the bond that has grown between Guernsey and Biberach,’ said Policy & Resources Committee president Deputy Lyndon Trott.
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