Artist in Exile: Raquel Winnica Young Presents “Under the Same Sky” — A Literary Recital Based on the Work of Dutch Jewish Writer Etty Hillesum, 1914–1943)

The literary recital “Under the same Sky” centers around the letters and diaries of the Dutch Jewish writer Etty Hillesum, intertwined with songs in Yiddish from Ghettos and theater. The letters and diaries were written between 1941 and 1943, during the final years of her life under Nazi occupation. This project arises from the profound impact that Hillesum’s writings have had on Raquel Winnica Young and, stemming from them, from the research process she is undertaking as part of her doctoral studies in Artistic Creation at the University of Aveiro, Portugal; but above all, from a life pilgrimage that brings her closer both to Hillesum’s work and to the scholars and writers most closely connected to Etty’s life.

There will be a complimentary reception following the program for all attendees.

About the Artists:

Argentine-American singer and stage director Raquel Winnica Young holds degrees in Vocal Performance from the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, as well as a Master’s degree in Advanced Theatre Studies from UNIR, Spain. She is a third-year PhD candidate in Artistic Creation at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, where her research-creation project draws on the writings and legacy of Etty Hillesum. She was awarded an Erasmus+ mobility scholarship to conduct research at the University of Castilla–La Mancha, Spain, in Spring 2026.

A specialist in Spanish and Latin American Baroque music, chamber music, and chamber opera, Winnica Young has performed throughout the Americas and Europe. Her U.S. engagements include Chatham Baroque, Apollo’s Fire, Les Délices, The Newberry Consort, Kentucky Opera, Atlanta Baroque, The Rose Ensemble, and the Altoona Symphony Orchestra. With Apollo’s Fire, she toured in O Jerusalem, a program featuring Judeo-Ashkenazi repertoire that culminated in a performance at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London. She has also performed with the Portuguese Baroque ensemble Ritornello.

As an educator, she has taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Carnegie Mellon University Pre-College and for a semester, at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and has offered courses in vocal performance and interpretation in Argentina, Brazil, and Portugal. As a stage director, she has worked at the FEMUSC International Festival in Brazil and the ISOFOM International Festival in Mexico, and directed opera workshop at Carnegie Mellon’s Pre-College program.

Douglas Levine is a Pittsburgh based pianist, composer, music director and educator. He has directed musicals for companies including Pittsburgh Public Theater, CLO Cabaret, City Theatre and Pittsburgh Festival Opera. His original scores have been premiered by companies including: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, City Theatre, Microscopic Opera Company, The Warhol, Playhouse REP, Conservatory and Junior Companies, Attack Theatre, Pennsylvania Dance Theatre, Pittsburgh Classical Theatre, Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater Festival, Dreams of Hope, Gateway to the Arts, Renaissance City Women’s Choir, Junior Mendelssohn Choir, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh and WQED FM. Doug composed the score and co-wrote lyrics for “Claws Out! A Holiday Drag Musical,” premiering online this Fall at City Theatre. levinemusic.com

Lenny Young is a performer, improviser, teacher, arranger and conductor. As an oboist he has performed with the Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Youngstown, Altoona, Johnstown, Westmoreland and McKeesport Symphonies, as well as the American Wind Symphony, the Mendelssohn Choir or Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Resonance Works, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theater, Point Park Conservatory, and Pennsylvania Dance Theater. Lenny has worked in a variety of chamber-music settings, including new music groups such as the Duquesne New Music Ensemble, Alia Musica Pittsburgh and Kamratōn. A founding member of the Bell’Art Ensemble, he performed with Alia Musica Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Camerata, composing and arranging works for all three groups. He was a co-leader for several Pittsburgh-based improvisational ensembles. A native of New Castle, DE, Lenny holds B.F.A. and M.M. degrees in music performance from Carnegie Mellon University. He currently teaches solfege and oboe at Carnegie Mellon, eurhythmics at Duquesne University and the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and eurhythmics, solfege, and oboe at Pittsburgh Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) high school, where he directs CAPA’s new-music ensemble, CAPA Antithesis. He has conducted the choir at Third Presbyterian Church since 2005.

About Your Visit:

The in-house restaurant, Alfabeto, is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.