PRESS RELEASE

Linda Wilson
Public Relations
Birmingham Public Library
(205) 226-3746
lwilson@bham.lib.al.us

BPL@Night hosts Chopin’s Afterlife, Monday May 12th, 2008 at the Birmingham Public Library Arrington Auditorium

May 12, 2008, Birmingham, AL—Concert pianist and film maker Ophra Yerushalmi created the film Chopin’s Afterlife, which is a personal essay of Yerushalmi searching for Frederic Chopin. She says, “I am a pianist because of Chopin. He has been a constant presence in my life.”

Frederic Chopin, one of the world’s greatest composers and certainly one of the most popular, was born in 1810 in Poland and died in 1849 in Paris. His piano compositions were generally short and he attained legendary status as a performer, although he performed less than 30 times in his entire lifetime. Chopin’s ill health caused him not to perform often or in public. He preferred to compose and teach, but his passionate piano compositions suggest a fiery interior life. Chopin was both a romantic and a revolutionary.

In the film Chopin’s Afterlife, Ophra Yerushalmi attempts to bridge the gap between Chopin the romantic and Chopin the revolutionary. She helps the audience understand the power and quality of Chopin’s music and its relevance today.

Yerushalmi will introduce the film at 6:30 and all in attendance will have an opportunity to view the documentary and to ask questions and interact with the producer.

This special event will be held in the auditorium of the downtown library and is free. Everyone is welcome.

Important Information:

Date: Monday, May 12th, 2008
Time: 6:30
Event: Chopin’s Afterlife with pianist/ director Ophra Yerushalmi
Place: Arrington Auditorium in the Downtown Library