Choir workshop in Braunau: Students sing with British star!

Choir workshop in Braunau: Students sing with British star!

Braunau, Österreich - On December 9, 2024, over 60 students from the Braunau City middle school took part in an exciting choir workshop with Jeff Borradails from Blackburn, England. Borradails and about 20 of his choir members traveled to sing traditional English Christmas carols with the young people, including the popular "Sing Ma in Advent". The local dialect was a significant challenge for the British guests. At the end of the workshop, the students presented what they had learned during a public performance at the city square of Braunau, which promoted the cultural exchange between the participants.

A look at the history of Braunau

The city of Braunau, known as Adolf Hitler, has a complicated past that is strongly associated with the Nazi crimes. In a current documentary by director Günter Schwaiger entitled "Who is afraid of Braunau?" the topic of dealing with history is treated. Schwaiger explains the challenges that Braunau has in relation to his heir and emphasizes that the place is not awarded by a strong Nazi presence, but is often wrongly stigmatized as the "Nazi nest" in Austria. According to the filmmaker, it is even easier to be an anti-fascist, since the city is constantly confronted with its past, which makes a conscious argument and a responsible handling of the historical entanglements, such as taz.de reports .

dealing with Hitler's birthplace is of central importance for Braunau, and it is actively working to improve the culture of remembrance and to process the past. One of the main goals of the project is to set a sign against forgetting and re -position the city as a historical place. Schwaiger emphasizes that the social institution, which is supposed to move into the former Hitler house, is a positive sign of the change in the perception of the city. Such initiatives, combined with cultural events such as the choir workshop, open up new perspectives and promote dialogue about history and present.