A novel of great intensity and power, The Cellist of Sarajevo brilliantly explores how war can change one’s definition of humanity, how music affects our emotional endurance, and how a romance with the rituals of daily life can itself be a form of resistance.Inspired by the actions of a real cellist during the siege of Sarajevo, the fictional story is a haunting and beautiful tribute to the endurance of humanity in the face of merciless horror. After witnessing the death of 22 of his friends and neighbors in a mortar attack, the cellist sits at the site of the attack, a small crater left at the point of contact, where he plays Albinoni’s Adagio in G Minor each day for 22 days – once for each of the dead. The story is told through the eyes of three individuals – one man braving the streets under threat of snipers to collect water for his family; one man who makes his way through the city in search of a meal and instead runs into an old friend who reminds him of the city before the war; and a young woman recruited for her expert marksmanship – now a sniper herself – who is charged with protecting the cellist.
This program is being coordinated locally by Frederick County Public Libraries in partnership with Frederick Reads and the Weinberg Center for the Arts.
6:50-7:20 pm Pre-event performance in the lobby by the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra.

Free event. No tickets required.

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