Rilling Awarded Medal for Christian-Jewish Understanding

February 19, 2004

Helmuth Rilling, artistic director of the University of Oregon’s annual Oregon Bach Festival, was awarded the city of Stuttgart’s Otto Hirsch Medal for his efforts to promote Christian-Jewish understanding. The honor was presented Monday, February 16 by Stuttgart’s Society for Christian-Jewish-Cooperation and the Israelite Religious Community.

In 1976 Rilling was the first German allowed to conduct the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in that country, and, together with his Stuttgart choir, the Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart, played the Israel National Anthem in Hebrew to then-Prime Minister Golda Meir. This concert is still considered as a breakthrough in the cultural relations between Germany and Israel. Since that event, Rilling has conducted the Israel Philharmonic more than 90 times.

The medal’s namesake, Dr. Otto Hirsch, was chairman of the Jewish Organization in Germany from 1933 to 1941. He devoted all his energies to save his companions in misfortune and was responsible for enabling the emigration of tens of thousands of German Jews. In February 1941 he was arrested for the third time and died on June 19 of the same year in the Mauthausen concentration camp.

Since 1985, Otto Hirsch’s 100th birthday, the Otto Hirsch Medal has been awarded annually to individuals who have devoted their work to Christian-Jewish cooperation.

Rilling returns to Eugene June 25-July 11 for his 35th season as founding artistic director of the Oregon Bach Festival. He will be accompanied by his Gächinger Kantorei choir, making their first Oregon appearance.