La Monnaie / De Munt LA MONNAIE / DE MUNT
© Brian Oldham
Community project

Push
Howard Moody

Presentation

‘My life has been nothing but miracles…’, the Holocaust survivor and Brussels resident Simon Gronowski told Howard Moody after the premiere of Sindbad at La Monnaie. That encounter was the starting signal for Push, which is based on Gronowski’s story. In 1943, he was taken from the Dossin Barracks and put on a train for Auschwitz. Thanks to his mother, who pushed him off the train, he was able to escape. But Push is more than a miraculous war story. It transcends the historical facts and resonates with the experiences of prisoners and refugees past and present: ‘our lives in one bag’. Howard Moody, an extraordinary bridgebuilder both as a composer and a conductor, fills his opera with a message of hope inspired by Gronowski’s words: ‘I wanted to live in the present and the future, in optimism, joy, and friendship’. For this production, Moody once again brings together professional musicians and amateur performers – both adults and children – in a unique theatrical experience.

Dates & tickets

 – 

Location

Malibran room (La Monnaie Workshops)

Prices

€ 20 (adults)
€ 10 (children under 15 years)
€ 8 (schools)

Presentation

Pre-performance talks 30' before the start of the performances

An opera inspired by the true story of Simon Gronowski who was pushed off
the train from Mechelen to Auschwitz by his mother in 1943

Dates & tickets

Dates

Cast
Cast

ConductorHOWARD MOODY
DirectorBENOÎT DE LEERSNYDER

Set and costume designEMILIE LAUWERS
LightingACE MCCARRON

VideoEMILIE LAUWERS, SIMON VAN ROMPAY

SimonJAMES NEWBY
Simon’s SisterSHEVA TEHOVAL
GuardIVAN LUDLOW

La Monnaie Chamber Music Ensemble
Mixed chorus of adolescents and adults
MM Academy & La Monnaie's Children's and Youth Chorus, led by Benoît Giaux Giaux

ProductionDE MUNT / LA MONNAIE