Russell Kaback will be at the Rangeley Public Library on Wednesday, August 6 at 6 p.m. to perform his solo musical performance, “25044”, based on the life of his grandfather Szyjek Magier who spent four years in the Nazi labor and concentration camps. Presented in Russell’s theatrical storytelling style that weaves together original songs on guitar, characters, sound effects and gestures, the piece incorporates personal interviews, testimonies, in-depth research and imagination, reminding us that hope can endure.

​​Russell Kaback (writer, composer, performer) is a musician and educator based in South Portland. He teaches in K-12 classrooms, and writes, produces and performs original music.  He received the 2016 Joel and Linda Abromson Award and the 2018 Maine Arts Commission Project Grant in support of bringing his musical story, based on his grandfather’s experience during the Holocaust, into schools in Maine. This work has been performed in venues in Maine and Massachusetts since 2014, at the PortFringe festival in Portland, and in his grandfather’s hometown of Bendzin, Poland in 2018.  In 2022 he began collaborating with master storyteller Antonio Rocha to create the one-man musical storytelling version of the show, titled “25044”.  The performance debuted in Turner in March 2023, and is currently being presented in Maine schools by Portland Ovations.

The show runs 60 minutes and is intended for audiences age 10 and up. Please stop by the Rangeley Public Library or call (207)864-5529 to sign up for this free program.