A musical celebration of compassion

In the late 1930s, many Jews fled to Shanghai to escape the Nazis in Europe as most countries were limiting Jewish migration or had closed their doors completely. The free port of Shanghai opened its doors to about 20,000 Jews despite suffering the atrocities of Japanese invaders at the same time.

This act of kindness led to many Jews dubbing Shanghai "the Noah's Ark of the Orient".

"When I first read about the history many years ago, I took a huge interest in it," said Yu during a news conference on July 6. "As a Shanghai native, I feel so proud of the city."

Zigman said that the production holds a special meaning for him.

"If not for Shanghai and the good will of the people of China, some of my ancestors and someone very close to me would have perished at the hands of the Nazis during World War II," says the American composer, who has written scores for films and TV shows including The Notebook and the Sex and the City franchise.

The musicians took more than three years to complete the oratorio. Unlike operas, oratorios usually have minimal visual and production elements such as action or scenery, and have a stationary chorus, soloists, a large orchestra and text that explores more universal ideas than dramatic specifics.