Draft:Roger Peltzman

Roger Peltzman (born in 1961) is an American pianist , teacher, playwright, actor, and film director based in New York City. He is best known for his one-person play about his uncle who was killed by the nazis during the Holocaust. The film version of the play has been selected and shown by ten film festivals (,) He also released a CD of all Chopin selections entitled "Dedication" in 2014 (Astre Recordings).

life

Roger Charles Peltzman was born in New York City. As a child, he grew up in Blauvelt NY. The son of Nils Peltzman, a pharmacist and Beatrice (Stern) Peltzman, a social worker and Holocaust survivor. Peltzman showed an early interest in filmmaking and music. He attended State University of Binghamton where is received degrees in Music and Cinema. He studied piano with renowned pedagogue, Seymour Fink. He received a Masters Degree in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Zenon Fishbein. After graduating from Mahattan School, Peltzman worked in recording. He was chief engineer at legendary Water Music Recorders in Hoboken, NJ. He also produced critically acclaimed albums such as Lee Feldman’s Living It All Wrong Pure/Mercury. In 2002 he joined the faculty of The Third Street Music School Settlement.

Playwright and solo performer

In 2022, Mr. Peltzman first performed his play "Dedication" during a three week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving 4 star reviews and critical acclaim. It also won the Derek Award for Best Overseas Play.

Synopis

Dedication is a 65-minute, one-person performance piece that combines monologue, live piano performance, visual imagery, and humor to tell the story of Peltzman’s mother’s family before the World War II and her harrowing escape from the Nazis who invaded the attic in which she and her family were hiding. It also relates the tragic journey of his uncle—a gifted piano prodigy—from Brussels to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. As the story unfolds, family photos, letters, documents, (which miraculously survived the war) are projected onto a screen. Drawn into the story of people he never knew, Peltzman develops a “relationship” with his uncle, Norbert Stern, a brilliant pianist who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 21. Learning that Holocaust trauma can be inherited, Peltzman recounts his coming to terms with second generation survivor trauma and the role of music in helping to manage wounds that will never fully heal. In June of 2023 Dedication had a 3 week run at London’s Marlyebone Theatre. Again, the show was a critical success receiving four star reviews. ‘…remarkable and riveting…’ Reviews Hub. ... “An amazing story told with charm humor and wisdom” – Spectator. Since then, Dedication has been performed in the US, Brussels and Berlin. The film version of Dedication is distributed by Menemsha.

"Dedication" recording and concerts

In 2013 Peltzman recorded a CD of all Chopin works for Astre Recordings. The disc was dedicated to the memory of Norbert Stern, Peltzman’s uncle. Stern was a talented pianist who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 21. "Dedication" was recorded at The Brussels Conservatory of Music where Stern performed and won competitions. Peltzman has performed at venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and cutting edge NYC club – (Le) Poisson Rouge.

External links

• http://www.rogerpeltzman.com}