The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival

by Anne Sebba

In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were drafted into a band that would play in all weathers marching music to other inmates, forced laborers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day. While still living amid the harshest of circumstances, with little more than a bowl of soup to eat, they were also made to give weekly concerts for Nazi officers, and individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances. For almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra saved their lives. But at what cost?

What role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends? In The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba traces these tangled questions of deep moral complexity with sensitivity and care.

From Alma Rosé, the orchestra's main conductor, niece of Gustav Mahler and a formidable pre-war celebrity violinist, to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, its teenage cellist and last surviving member, Sebba draws on meticulous archival research and exclusive first-hand accounts to tell the full and astonishing story of the orchestra, its members, and the response of other prisoners for the first time.

12 hr. 54 min.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Holocaust, Audiobook, Biography, Historical

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 27, 2025

About the author

Anne Sebba began her writing career at the BBC world service, Arabic section, while still a student. After graduating from King’s College, London in Modern European History, she worked as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in London and Rome, the first woman Reuters accepted on their Graduate Trainee Scheme. In 1975 she moved to New York with her husband and first baby returning two years later with a second baby and first book. From then on she was launched into a freelance career as a journalist, biographer, cruise lecturer and occasional broadcaster and is now also an officially accredited Nadfas lecturer. She has worked for many writers’ organisations including PEN Writers in Prison Committee and the Society of Authors chairing its Management Committee from 2013- 2015 and followed her bestselling biography That Woman, a life of Wallis Simpson, based on the discovery of 15 secret letters which Wallis wrote to her second husband Ernest Simpson, with Les Parisiennes : How the Women of Paris lived, loved and died in the 1940s published in the UK and US in 2016.

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for a lesser known story about the Holocaust. It seems that the Germans in charge of Auschwitz wanted an orchestra. There were two orchestras, made up of prisoners--one of men, and one of women. They were several uses for these orchestras. They were put on display if the Red Cross came to inspect the camp. They were also made to play when there were new arrivals. This orchestra playing music gave a false sense of security to the new arrivals, thinking that if this camp had an orchestra, maybe it wasn't so bad. Little did they know there was a selection process, sending half to the gas chambers, and the other half kept for slave labor. The orchestra was also required to play march music when the other inmates were leaving in the morning and returning in the evening. Evenings were especially hard on the prisoners, since even though they were exhausted from a days hard labor, they were forced to carry the dead bodies of those who had died during the day. Refusal to do so meant a beating or death.
In addition, the orchestras were required to perform for the German officers. The Camp commander would sometimes awaken them at 2am and demand that they perform for him. Refusal to perform meant the gas chamber. To be a member of the orchestra meant survival. You were given extra food, better living quarters and better clothes, including underwear, denied to other inmates.
The author has done an impressive amount of research, including interviewing surviving orchestra members and or their family members. She has also read many published memoirs of various survivors and viewed all filmed interviews.
This was not an easy book to read. But it is an important book.
One quote on being chosen to be an orchestra member: "Learning that she had won a place in the fabled Block 12, years later Flora understood that this was her 'doorway to life."
Thank You St. Martin's Press for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.

Pub date: Sep 16 2025

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

"They tore off our belongings, food and clothing but music is the one thing that they could not take away from us, music that evil could not destroy". - Alice Herz-Sommer, pianist and Holocaust survivor

The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival is a moving and informative tale of survival, talent, bravery, sacrifice, and the horrors of Auschwitz. Music means so much to so many people, we turn to it when we are happy, sad, celebrating, saying goodbye, healing from a broken heart, or just to enjoy ourselves. For the women in the Orchestra no matter their skill level, music became a matter of life or death. It saved them, it brought them together, and it entertained the Nazi's. When I read books about the Holocaust and Auschwitz especially, I wonder if Ma experienced their music. Was she greeted upon arrival to Auschwitz by the orchestra? Did their music wake her each day and if so, what did she think of it?

"That I survived nearly one year in Auschwitz is without any doubt due to the fact that I became a member of the camp orchestra. As long as the Germans wanted an orchestra, it would have been counter-productive to kill us".- Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, cellist in the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz


Anne Sebba did a tremendous amount of research in the writing of this book. It is evident and showcased on every page. She also interviewed those who played in the orchestra. As I mentioned the orchestra was made up of women with talents ranging from Alma Rosé, a celebrity violinist prior to the war, women of varying musical skills, and lastly to to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, the last surviving member of the Orchestra.

"This is what we have, and with this we will triumph":was the rallying cry Alma Rosé used with her orchestra members in the camp.

The women survived by being given extra food, better accommodations, undergarments, and dresses to play while performing. They practiced for hours and end and were at the whim of the Nazi's who would often wake them at various to have the play. They were playing for their lives while having to entertain those who took the lives of their loved ones, those who threaten their daily existence, and those who look down upon them.

"In Birkenau music was both the best and the worst. The best: it swallowed the time and allowed us to forget, like a drug; afterwards you were numbed and sucked dry. The worst: our public—on the one hand, the murderers, and on the other, the victims". -Fania Fénelon, pianist and vocalist in the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz:

This was a wonderfully written and moving book. I love books that cause me to think and feel while also teaching me something new. I love books about ordinary people who are faced with extraordinary circumstances. To be able to survive in such a place is a blessing. It is our duty to remember their stories. That is why books such as The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival is important. They are vital especially now in a time where Antisemitism is rearing its ugly head.

4.5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[Angela M · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In memory of those who cannot tell their story “ Such a meaningful dedication.

An incredible amount of research was done for this book taking into account numerous personal stories of women involved in the orchestra of Auschwitz and other survivors . There is detailed information reflecting the complexity of the role of the orchestra , its impact and the mixed feelings that women of Auschwitz had about it . Not an easy book to read knowing the horrors of what was being done to so many unnamed while the music played. Anne Sebba puts names and in some cases faces with the inclusion of photographs and personal stories together here in her effort “to collect oral and written memories of women of the orchestra and others in one place”. Young women representing the promise of future lives that were taken in the most horrific ways from a virtuoso violin player to women with no musical talent.

When I picked up this book my first thoughts were that the orchestra must have provided solace and distraction for the other prisoners, not just entertainment for the Nazis, but that was not always the case. Horrible memories of marching to the music in freezing and wet conditions, feelings of resentment that the women of the orchestra were given privileges and amenities making some believe “they must be doing Nazi bidding in some form” were prevalent. However, there is no doubt that women in the orchestra were saved from the gas chamber.

The author attempts to bring all the women’s stories together in one place, it didn’t feel tied together and felt a bit disjointed . There were many details and so many names. This delivery kept me from giving it the 5 stars, I hoped I would give. In spite of that bit of a miss in delivery for me, I learned about another facet of the Holocaust. The book reiterates how imperative it is for these stories to be told and how important for us to read them and bear witness , to recognize and remember the millions so we never forget and never let it happen again .

I received a copy of this from St . Martins Press through Edelweiss.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure I wanted to read another Holocaust book having read extensively on the topic, but I was unfamiliar with the orchestra. Women in Auschwitz with musical aptitude (and some without) were organized into an orchestra by some of the German guards. They did get slightly better treatment, which was a source of guilt for some, but their experience was still one of demeaning treatment, starvation, and deprivation. A well researched, enlightening look at some strong women who survived experiences which seemed almost unendurably horrifying. The author ends with a quote from Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel: “Not to remember the dead now would mean to become accomplices to their murderers. We must remember not only because of the dead; it is too late for them. We must remember not only for the survivors; it may even be too late for them. Our remembering is an act of generosity aimed at saving men and women from apathy to evil, if not from evil itself.” Recommended for all public library collections. Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for permitting me to review this advance copy.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Sept. 16, 2025

Anne Sebba is a bestselling non-fiction author, with a passion for history and past experience as a foreign correspondent. When she learned her father served in the British army, and was responsible for “freeing” some of the prisoners at Auschwitz and other camps during World War Two, she began research on her new book, “The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival”.

At Auschwitz, in 1943, nearly fifty women and girls from eleven different countries were selected to form an orchestra, playing for prisoners and guards alike. For the prisoners, the orchestra would be instructed to play music that could be “marched to”, so that captives could march to and from their work details to a synchronized rhythm. Guards, of course, could call on the orchestra to play for them at any time, although mostly they were used to entertain the SS guards during dinners and celebrations. The women were half-frozen and starving, playing on instruments stolen from the Jewish people during raids, but being in the orchestra gave them a few, select privileges, so women would be incentivized to participate.

Sebba’s story is broken down into large sections and, within each section, are the individual stories of the women who comprised the orchestra. Among the deplorable and inhumane conditions, the women bonded together, looking out for each other and maintaining contact long after the war ended. As heartbreaking and emotional as “Orchestra” was, feelings of community and hope still remained among the prisoners, which shone a weak light of positivity on the dark corners of the Auschwitz camp.

Each woman, orchestra member or not, is owed one hundred percent respect, which Sebba provides. She talks to survivors, interviews relatives of survivors where necessary, and it is clear that she has done extensive academic research, so “Orchestra” is as honest a depiction as possible. Each time I read a story on Auschwitz, I uncover more elements that I did not know about, and the orchestra was one of those.

In no way should the Auschwitz Orchestra be seen in a similar vein as orchestras and bands as we know of them now. Although many of the women were extremely talented, even professional musicians in some cases, that is where the similarities stopped. The women’s performances were used to “greet” prisoners as they disembarked trains, in order to give them false pretenses about the hell they were about to walk into. These performances also set the pace the women were to keep when marching to and from their laborious work details. The orchestra members were taken advantage of by SS guards, often performing when they were frozen, starving and ill, with promises of death if they refused. Their only payment was often extra rations, which they shared amongst themselves, or a blanket of their own.

“Orchestra” is a thought-provoking World War Two non-fiction story that is as powerful as it is emotional. Sebba introduced me to a new facet of Auschwitz that I did not know before but I believe that stories like this should continue to be told for as long as we have the ability and resources to do so.

[Nima Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profound, meticulously researched, and harrowing account that sheds light on yet another aspect of the horrors within the concentration camps. This book is proof that there are still countless stories left to be told—stories that must never be forgotten. It stands as a continuous reminder not only of the atrocities endured but also of the remarkable bravery and resilience of the survivors who faced unspeakable conditions.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #MacmillanAudio for this ARC

[AngelaC · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubting the amount of research the author has put into this book and for that she is tobe congratulated.
I suppose that, when deciding how to formulate the book, there was a choice between a chronological narrative and one that focussed on individual women. Anne Sebba used the first of these and, while I understand her choice since it gave an opportunity to show the manic decline of the camp's structure towards the end of the war, I found the addition of more and more names rather confusing. She did come back to certain women several times during the book but without enough detail to enable the reader to see them as actual people rather than names with dates and places of birth.
The information on camp life, again often rather scanty, was interesting but I was left feeling disappointed with a book that should have been fascinating as well as extensively informative.

[Caren · Rating 5 out of 5]

British historian Anne Sebba presents a comprehensive "story of survival" in her exploration of the women's orchestra of Auschwitz, perhaps a lesser=known part of Holocaust history and of the infamous death camp. What took precedence in her exploration were the members of this group - their musical talent (where it existed), the barbarity they witnessed, and their personal grief and guilt in having their lives saved by their participation while those around them were being thrown into the gas chambers. The intense study included the conflicts faced in being made to provide the musical accompaniment to the daily marches of their fellow prisoners, in providing "entertainment" for the Nazi officers, and in knowing that their lives were spared only because of their participation.

Sebba provides meticulous portraits of the women, particularly of the conductor Alma Rose, the celebrated violinist, and of Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, the last surviving member. These Jewish women were incarcerated in a separate Block, housing the orchestra members, where they formed close friendships that contributed to their survival. Sebba's interviews with those who survived this experience clearly portrayed the effects of the women's experience and answered for the readers "What possible role could music have in a place of such bestiality?"

[Kate Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thorough, detailed, and moving account of the little known Women's Orchestra of the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.

Utilizing written accounts, personal interviews, and volumes of historical records, Ms. Sebba has crafted a deeply emotional and revealing story about the fifty or so women who performed in or were associated with this tight-knit ensemble. The book speaks of the horrors observed and endured. Yet, through it all, this mixed group of ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse group of women were molded into a a tight-knit community. Yet, each and every one of them understood how tenuous their bond was, being subject to the whims of the Nazis, loeding over them all.

Ms Sebba's writing is concise, highly descriptive, evocative, and thorough. Her research is Herculean in scope. She delivers an emotional roller coaster as one might imagine the feelings of these internees to be. I was deeply moved by the story, stunned by the women's endurance, and amazed by their accounts. Caution: keep the tissue box within reach.

I am grateful to St. Martin's Press for having provided a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication date: September 16, 2025
Number of Pages: 400
ISBN: 978-1250287595

[lanisv · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this book a higher score because these women's stories of survival are amazing and deserve to be remembered, but the writing is clunky and so bogged down in detail, it needed a really good edit and was hard work to get through.

[Mariana Montserrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Sentía el sol en mi rostro."

Este libro en particular combina historia, memoria y resistencia. Narra cómo dentro de un campo de concentración un grupo de mujeres formó parte de una orquesta, y cómo esa música, en medio del horror, se convirtió en su forma más frágil de salvación.

Sebba recoge muchos testimonios, fotografías y detalles que no solo documentan lo que ocurrió, sino lo que significó seguir tocando cuando todo alrededor era muerte. Lo más fuerte es esa contradicción, las mujeres que tocaban para los nazis lograban sobrevivir, pero al mismo tiempo eran testigos directas del sufrimiento de las demás. Y al mismo tiempo también víctimas de ese sistema.

El libro te deja en claro que nadie podía escapar del miedo ni del dolor. Ni siquiera aquellos que aparentemente tenían "privilegios" en condiciones francamente infrahumanas. No había ningún tipo de seguridad y sin embargo, aún existía algo de esperanza... La música fue resistencia, refugio y condena al mismo tiempo. El libro te deja con una sensación de asombro y tristeza, te muestra como el arte puede sostener la vida incluso cuando el mundo parece decidido a borrarla.

¿Lo recomiendo? Si te llama la atención algo de lo aquí escrito, adelante. Y sí, entiendo la importancia de no dejar que estas historias se pierdan y aún así siempre es doloroso adentrarse en estos testimonios.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had reservations when I decided to read this book. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read another Holocaust book but the topic intrigued me and I decided to proceed. With that said I also wanted to rate this book higher than I did because of the horrific experiences that these women experienced but in the end I am sticking by my rating.

This book tells the story of several women who were part of the orchestra. It’s not really told in chronological order and as more people are introduced to the story it made it hard to follow. Also a lot of the researched information came from interviews making it limited in how parts of the story was told since this writer did not conduct those interviews. There was also at times a lot of information added making it overwhelming at times.

Overall, this turned out to be just an okay read for me. I truly wish that I could rate it higher but I just can’t.

[Ruth Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would rate this a 7/10, but with this rating system I will round up and give it 4 ⭐️s. Overall, it’s an informative book that sheds light on a perspective rarely heard of when learning about the Holocaust. It was interesting to learn about the women, the process, the full picture. Unfortunately, it was VERY difficult to keep track of the time frame and persons being discussed. You could go from the beginning of the founding of Auschwitz’s to the childhood of one of the orchestra member’s to a summary of how an instrument was gotten and then jump into a retelling of their day. It was not smooth reading by no stretch of the imagination. I was a bit lost on what the purpose of the book was since it wasn’t straightforward, and at one point she says: “… revealing here is the answer to my nagging question throughout the research on this book: what special qualities enabled a teenager without either of her parents to survive prison and camp life of the most brutal kind and emerge to lead a full life… born with a will to survive or was that will forged in Auschwitz?” I didn’t get that question relayed during my reading until this point. However, all complaints aside, I was glad to have read it. As she says in the book, “The courage of the orchestra girls, like everyone else who survived Belsen, demands to be recognized.”

My favorite quote: “The Auschwitz orchestras exposed the grotesque contradiction at the heart of the Final Solution—the Nazis’ inability to decide whether Jews were to be annihilated because they were the lowest of the low or because they ran the world in some form of evil conspiracy.”

[Edens Book Den · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It is hope that compels man to hold on to one more day of life because that day may be the day of his liberation. Ah, and not even the hope for a different, better world, but simply for life, a life of peace and rest.”

This book is heavy, both in subject and in detail, and I found myself setting it down more than once-not because I didn’t want to keep going, but because I needed space to absorb it. It’s dense with history and testimony, and every page asks you to sit with the weight of what it meant to survive Auschwitz.

The orchestra itself is at the heart of that story: women who played music under impossible circumstances, ordered to perform while others marched past to forced labor. For them, music was both a means of survival and a thread of humanity inside a world designed to erase it. It leaves you deeply grateful that their voices, and their music, are not forgotten.

[Theresa Turnsek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a detailed account of a group of women prisoners that played in a women's orchestra in Auschwitz during World War II. It goes into great detail of the survival of these women and how they survived till they were liberated in 1945.
It is still incomprehensible to me how a group of people were ostracized with such malice and cruelty.
This is a part of history that we should never forget. Sadly, with all the events of antisemitism that are currently taking place , we will have a repeat of this ostracity.

[Bill Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give the book three stars, but urge you to read it. So many names are mentioned, but the author does a nice job of reintroducing them as she moves her narrative along

The setting is the Holocaust of course, but the story is the women musicians (mostly amateurs) and the orchestra formed to play marches as slave labor marched from the camp and back to the camp each day. And to entertain SS troops on Sundays. And to provide an unintentional soundtrack to the atrocities of the death camp.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love that this was a story of real life women and survivors that I had never heard before. It was such a unique story of resilience and resistance.

It was a bit difficult to follow at some points and I found myself unsure of whose story we were in but that may have been because I listened on audio.

[Christine M in Texas (stamperlady50) · Rating 5 out of 5]

An emotional story. I have read a lot about Auschwitz and that time period, I had never heard about the orchestra and all that entailed. Haunting, interesting and thank you for sharing your story. Thank you St. Marin’s press for an advanced copy.

[Amy Simons · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very important topic which includes the stories of women whose legacies deserve to be remembered -- but the organization of the book made it feel like a list of experiences had by different women without tying any of them together with a narrative that made it possible to follow along with easily.

[Jon Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s hard to read about the horrors of Auschwitz. Hundreds of thousands gassed and burned, and the orchestra played on. While the orchestra didn’t play specifically for those in line for the gas chambers, they could hear the orchestra’s rehearsals.

I don’t know what to say about this book. It’s thoroughly researched and an amazing read. But really, it’s hard to praise a book about one of the darkest moments in human history.

It’s important that we remember, though. It’s important that we know what can happen when our hearts and minds are overtaken by hate and propaganda. It’s important that we NEVER forget and NEVER allow something like Auschwitz-Birkenau to ever exist again.

Behind all of this is the music. What role did music ultimately play in the prisoners’ lives? Many died when they couldn’t keep up with the marching tempos. Did others find solace in the notes? Hope? Beauty? It’s hard to know because we weren’t there. Who knows how we would have responded? I love music and find great joy in it. Yet many orchestra members never played their instruments again after being liberated. What would I do? What would you do? I hope we never, ever find the answer to those questions.

[Leah M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

In a time where people love to read Holocaust fiction, marked by names like ‘The X of Auschwitz,’ I was initially hesitant to check out more about this book. But once I realized that this wasn’t fiction but historical fact, I was more intrigued. Jewish people have faced persecution for millennia, and true stories of survival and resistance during the Holocaust and other periods of persecution. Before reading this, I knew nothing about a women’s orchestra in Auschwitz specifically, although I had heard that there was an orchestra that was forced to play. And as difficult as it is for me to read Holocaust history, it’s equally important to bear witness and share factual stories of the Holocaust, especially as Jewish people face an unprecedented rise in antisemitism around the world at levels not seen since the Holocaust.

To begin with, I reviewed this as an audiobook which was narrated by Helen Stern. She did a fantastic job with the various different names and places and foreign words that came up in this story involving multiple languages including German, Hungarian, Czech, Polish, and Russian, to name a few. However, this is the kind of book that I can confidently say would work better as a print or ebook. I struggled at times with Stern’s soft voice and even cadence as she narrated horrifying scenes. Additionally, I had trouble keeping track of everyone named for a good part of the book, because there was so much going on, which I’m going to get into.

In one of the cruelest sites of the Holocaust, Auschwitz in 1943 was a place where hope went to die along with entire families. It was one of the most incongruous places to have an orchestra performing day in and day out, yet that is exactly what had been formed. The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz was set up for a few different reasons: the SS leaders wanted music to boost the morale of the Nazi guards; it was a new form of torture for the prisoners; and one of the most important reasons, the harsh realities of their new setting was hidden until it was too late to do anything about it. The orchestra had been in existence prior to 1943, but this is when Alma Rosé took over leadership.

Violinist Alma Rosé, an Austrian Jew who was the niece of Gustav Mahler, led this orchestra. A rigid woman with high standards, she worked hard to make her orchestra as good as possible. This might not seem too difficult, but her orchestra worked hard under conditions that were far beyond the pale. And while she wasn’t an easy woman to get close to, she is responsible for creating an orchestra comprised of nearly 50 women. Not only that, but she negotiated better conditions for her girls than the typical Auschwitz barracks—under the guise of it being better for the instruments to stay in an insulated cabin. She also got them small improvements that worked to save lives, such as access to a little more food and better hygiene. Additionally, I was shocked to learn that the Nazi guards valued the orchestra music enough to not immediately kill the women who were sick enough to go to the infirmary, like the other prisoners experienced. A prisoner who couldn’t work was a waste of resources, although in this case membership in the orchestra did save lives.

Alma saved as many women as she could, whether they had true musical talent or not. Her orchestra was a mix of Jews and gentiles, and it was comprised of women from all across Europe, from France to Russia and even Greece. The women didn’t all speak a common language, making it difficult to lead this kind of orchestra, and at times there was animosity amongst the women, but for the most part, they learned to work together in an effort to survive. And it was an incredible accomplishment, with almost all of the nearly 50 member strong orchestra surviving. Under Rosé’s leadership the orchestra changed into a more professional and diverse group, as she replaced the less skilled musicians with women who could play better, and stopped the prior conductor’s favoring of Polish gentiles.

I appreciated that the author delved into the emotional toll that playing in this orchestra had on Alma and the other women. Playing jaunty marches as the prisoners were on their way to and from long days of forced labor and hiding the reality of the camps from new arrivals (how bad could it truly be if there was an orchestra playing?) weighed on the conscience of these women, especially as they picked through the confiscated belongings to find instruments. Additionally, playing outdoors seven days a week in clothing that wasn’t suitable for the weather conditions was difficult and took a toll on their physical health as they slowly starved to death, subjected to petty humiliation, and being forced to perform where hot ashes from the crematoria rained down on them is something that could only be thought up by the most depraved minds of the 20th century.

Additionally, Sebba talks about the depravity of the Nazi and SS guards, many of whom enjoyed the music and would force the women to play additional concerts for them, for the holidays or just whenever they wanted, no matter where they were. And for the women of the orchestra, I can’t imagine that they’d ever find the same enjoyment of playing or listening to music that they did before they were sent to Auschwitz. This was a tough read, even through Stern’s beautiful voice and soft narration. If you do plan to read this one, I’d suggest reading an ebook or print version, but this is an incredible piece of history to learn about.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival by Anne Sebba
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

I picked up this book expecting a historical account, and while it delivered that, it also offered something more personal and thought-provoking than I anticipated. Anne Sebba’s The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz is a well-researched and deeply moving narrative about nearly fifty women who survived the horrors of Auschwitz by playing music—an experience that was both a lifeline and a burden. Sebba explores this lesser-known piece of Holocaust history with care, precision, and an eye for the difficult moral questions that come with it.

These women were selected to form an orchestra in 1943, ordered to play as prisoners marched to and from labor, or during weekly concerts for SS officers. Music became their means of survival, but it also placed them in a complex and uncomfortable role—used by their captors to maintain order, boost morale among guards, and even send a false image of civility to outsiders. For many, it meant surviving while others perished. That contrast—their lives spared, their music heard, while loved ones vanished—is at the heart of the emotional weight this book carries.

Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, a teenage cellist and one of the orchestra’s few surviving members, appears throughout the narrative and offers crucial perspective. And then there’s Alma Rosé, the group’s conductor and a figure as fascinating as she is controversial. A talented violinist and the niece of Gustav Mahler, Alma was known for her discipline and high standards—characteristics that may have kept the orchestra alive. Sebba paints her not as a hero, but as a complex, commanding presence whose leadership was both admired and resented. Her story raises one of the book’s central questions: What does it mean to lead in a space where leadership itself is warped by terror?

Sebba doesn’t shy away from the contradictions and moral discomfort of the orchestra’s existence. These women weren’t collaborators. They were victims making impossible choices in order to survive. Still, the guilt, shame, and silence many of them carried after the war is explored with depth and empathy. The author’s use of archival research, interviews, and survivor testimony helps bring each of these women out of the shadows of history. Some survived, rebuilt lives, and eventually spoke out. Others never fully escaped what happened to them.

One quote that stood out to me was: “The courage of the orchestra girls, like everyone else who survived Belsen, demands to be recognized.” That’s what this book does best—it offers recognition. Not romanticism, not judgment, but acknowledgment of resilience under horrific conditions. These women endured something that no one should have to, and the fact that they did it while performing music only sharpens the paradox at the center of this story.

The book can be dense at times. There are many names, countries, and timelines to follow, and the pacing occasionally stumbles under the weight of the historical detail. Still, I never felt that any part of it was unnecessary. If anything, it reminded me that history isn’t tidy. It’s messy, scattered, overlapping—and Sebba treats it that way. The final chapters, which follow the survivors post-liberation, are some of the most impactful. Liberation didn’t erase trauma, and this book doesn’t pretend it did. For many of the women, the real struggle began after the gates of Auschwitz opened.

This isn’t a quick or easy read, but it’s a meaningful one. It offers a vital addition to Holocaust literature and highlights women’s voices that often go unheard. Sebba’s writing is thoughtful, clear, and respectful of the story’s emotional gravity without being overly dramatic. If you’re interested in history, women’s stories, or the role of art in survival, this is absolutely worth reading.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz by Anne Sebba is an exceptionally-written harrowing and heartbreaking true account of the women who participated in the orchestra, whether voluntarily or forced. The job was very difficult as the women had to play in all weather, any time of day or night, and at times exclusively for Nazis or in front of the gas chamber. Their music "welcomed" new arrivals and sent prisoners off to work and played when they returned later in the day. It was used for propaganda. Refusal to play meant murder but one of the best "perks" was getting treated and not gassed when ill. They were in the Grey Zone as privileged with better treatment, despised and hated. Music was the most beautiful thing at Auschwitz but also another level of hell designed to kill mentally. The women had already suffered intense humiliation, robbed of humanity, torture, "Sport", beatings, starvation, experimentation, freezing cold, rags for "clothes", crawling with vermin, unsanitary conditions, worked to death, and tormented by vermin. To add to this impossible existence was the knowledge of being gassed for any tiny infraction and loss of family members who suffered and died horribly. That level of anxiety and fear is incomprehensible.

The women's orchestra members are described (with a list of them in the back of the book). They came from many countries and walks of life. It was the mission of Infamous brutal prison guard Maria Mandl to establish music at the camp. The main conductor, Alma, was unafraid of Mandl and, in fact, secured better food, toilets and clothes for her girls. She was seen by many as a Nazi collaborator and demanded perfection. But she would do anything to save the girls. She risked her life for others. After dying of a mysterious illness, the orchestra fell to pieces. The group was eventually sent to Belsen, a camp without blocks of buildings. Recording experiences in writing and interviews show the terrible level of guilt several of the girls felt. I appreciate that the author felt compelled to research this group (I had only read about them twice before) as her father was a liberator. What greeted the liberators was beyond words. Liberation didn't mean sudden freedom as prisoners had to somehow cope with the anguish of their old and new lives as displaced persons with nothing.

Other perpetrators such as Irma Grese, Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele played roles in this book. I cannot imagine facing one of these monsters let alone all of them and others like them. Holocaust survivors' courage is astounding. The research done for this book is incredible and though emotionally crushing, it is impactful and powerful. For history and/or Holocaust readers, this book is a must.

[BOOKLOVER EB · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz," by Anna Sebba, is an exhaustively researched work of non-fiction. Starting in 1943, approximately forty females played music and sang in Auschwitz at the behest of the Nazis. The prisoners were not universally eager to join orchestra. How could they, in good conscience, play marching tunes and other compositions while innocent men, women, and children, were being sent to the gas chambers? Some of the survivors who were interviewed in later years said that they found music to be a distraction from the misery of their existence. Moreover, the members of the orchestra were treated marginally better than the other inmates, although they still had very little to eat. The orchestra performed for hours at a time and was always on call. On the plus side, the bond that developed between the musicians gave them the fortitude to persist when they might otherwise have lost hope.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the orchestra's mission was that its members were ordered to play songs with a beat to which the slave laborers were supposed to march in step. If one of the marchers stumbled, they would be severely beaten. Adding to the horror, those who arrived at Auschwitz from the transports were lulled by the music into a false sense of security that quickly turned into terror.

Sebba lists the members of the orchestra at the back of the book, but it is still difficult to keep track of their names. The standout for me was Alma Rosé, the second and most accomplished conductor of the women's orchestra. She was a strict disciplinarian who saved as many lives as she could by allowing women with limited skills to join the orchestra. Furthermore, she made sure that the musicians performed as expertly as possible.

Although I applaud Sebba's efforts in chronicling the history of this period, "The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz" is so long, rambling, and densely packed with details that I was put off by its slow pace and abundance of information. This account may appeal to readers who are interested in the background, personality, and ultimate fate of each musician. I would have preferred a more concise and organized overview. Be warned that, in these pages, there are many passages in which the author recounts events of shocking brutality.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz describes the conditions of the camp, how people were arrested or rounded up and brought there, the horrible conditions experienced by both Jews and Gentiles, and how the orchestra was able to save lives under the noses of the Nazis. This is important information that should have been fascinating, but, unfortunately, the author's obvious engagement with the material and her extensive research, could not make up for the disorganized nature of this book.

Instead of focusing on a specific timeline and the stories of the most significant people, it rambles all over the place, repeating the same horrific details over and over, introducing characters by name and then either dropping them after a single paragraph or bringing them up again after several chapters. Besides Alma Rose and Maria Mandl, I cannot recall the name of a single person. (Fania Fenelon is an exception only because I saw the controversal tv movie made from her book.) It became impossible to distinguish between half a dozen women named Helena or Helene. I never knew if the story of someone whose gruesome time (arrest, imprisonment, torture, hard labor, typhus) was described in detail, would end up being a survivor or someone who died before she could join the orchestra. One woman gave someone a glass of milk and then apparently disappeared. I would become involved with the story of how someone else's brother-in-law joined the men's orchestra or escaped to England, or was gassed on arrival at the camp, only to realize that none of this person's experiences had any significance in terms of the women's orchestra. Early on, I wondered why it was necessary for anyone to know that a male rival of the female commandant has a wife, three children and a weak chin, since he was never mentioned again.

Only in the last half does the book come together somewhat because it deals in a more focused way with the issues of relative privilege and why some women survived when others did not. The epilogue made me feel guilty for not liking this more, which feels manipulative.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me the opportunity to access a free advance reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Dalyn Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz is a profoundly moving, meticulously researched, and morally complex work that illuminates one of the most extraordinary and harrowing survival stories of the Holocaust. Anne Sebba brings her historian’s precision and her storyteller’s sensitivity to a narrative that demands both: the formation of a women’s orchestra inside the Auschwitz Birkenau death camp.

Sebba reveals the wrenching paradox at the heart of this story: music, the universal language of beauty and humanity, was weaponized within one of history’s darkest places. Ordered by SS officers to provide marching music for forced laborers and perform for the very perpetrators responsible for their suffering, these nearly fifty women from eleven nations found themselves surviving because of their talent, even as they grappled with the unbearable moral burden of that survival.

Through the lives of central figures such as Alma Rosé, the formidable conductor and niece of Gustav Mahler, and Anita Lasker Wallfisch, the teenage cellist whose testimony still shapes Holocaust remembrance, Sebba reconstructs a narrative that is both deeply personal and historically essential. Her use of archival material, exclusive interviews, and firsthand accounts brings startling clarity to the emotional and ethical complexities these women endured.

The book does more than chronicle survival it interrogates it. Sebba asks difficult but necessary questions:
• What did it mean to provide comfort however unwillingly to those responsible for genocide?
• What psychological and emotional toll did such coerced performances take?
• How did members of the orchestra reconcile the fact that their music, meant for solace, was twisted into an instrument of oppression?

Sebba’s writing is compassionate, nuanced, and unflinching. By restoring voice, agency, and dignity to the women of the orchestra, she ensures that their courage, suffering, and resilience are not lost to history.

For readers of Holocaust history, women’s narratives, moral philosophy, and stories of survival against unimaginable odds, The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz stands as an indispensable and unforgettable contribution.

[Maine Colonial · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to a free review audiobook provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

It’s impossible to imagine what kind of twisted mind would think up the idea of putting together a concentration camp band to play prisoners out to work and back in. In this case, it was sadistic camp guard Maria Mandl, who was put on trial after the war and hanged. She saw that the men’s camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau had a band and decided, out of ambition and competitive feeling, to put together a women’s group. Many Nazis considered themselves cultured despite their genocidal notions, so this makes some kind of twisted logic—though they likely more appreciated that the women were mainly made to play marches to keep the prisoners in line and moving swiftly.

It’s also difficult to imagine how it must have felt for prisoners going off to hard labor to see and hear the band, and how it must have felt to be in the band and saved from hard labor but few of the other horrors of the camp, like starvation, physical and emotional exhaustion, and disease.

Author Sebba’s research has given her much information about the women in the band, a mix of Jewish and non-Jewish women, mostly Poles. It’s heartbreaking to read that even in Auschwitz, many of the Polish women prisoners were anti-Semitic. More heartening is to read of the nurturing relationships that kept each other going, and of Alma Rosé, the band leader who took on whatever members she could to save their lives. She was a complicated character, loved by many, criticized by some for strictness and supposedly collaborating with the Nazi guards and other personnel. But the key achievement of her short life was that 40 women survived who most likely would have perished without her actions. Sebba’s interviews with several of these women near the end of their lives provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how they coped, both during their imprisonment and after liberation.

Helen Stern is an excellent audiobook narrator. The author also provides a lengthy heartfelt and insightful afterword.

[Trudy Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not quite sure what I should say about The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz. I sit here broken by what I read. I sit here in awe of the women in the story, their strength and determination is beyond inspiration. The author has my complete respect. I can't imagine the strength it must have taken to talk to the survivors and to research this devastating, horrible time. I feel as if I must read this book numereous times inorder to absorb it all.

The book is filled with details of the catastrophic results of the Nazis determination to cleanse the world country by country. The reader is left with no doubt about the horrors, the treatment, the devastation. Reading books such as this make me question more and more about those in denial of what happened. I will confess I found myself taking notes, creating an outline, wanting to remember every detail.

The book concentrates on the Women that were part of the Orchestra of Auschwitz, one until now, I thought was only male. Playing an instrument, escaping into the music did not allow for escape from the horrors. Read the words of those that lived it. Read the words of the continueing challenges after liberation. Hear the words of Richared Dimbleby upon entering the camp, "I passed through the barrier and found myself in the world of nightmare." The women in this story lived that nightmare daily from the day they entered until the day of liberation.

I read books such as this in order to remember. I can only learn what happened because there is no way I will ever understand how people could be treated with such distaste, with such malice. The author says it best with the title of the epilogue, "If we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices. Please read this book and never, ever forget." This should never be repeated.

[Danelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz is a meticulously researched, heartbreaking story of a group of women who were saved from the gas chambers because of their musical talents. I appreciated the very personal accounts of the women who were part of this orchestra, but what I didn't expect (and probably should have) were the moral questions, guilt and emotional anguish felt by women who were doing the only thing they could to survive. Many of the women's stories were tragically similar which, along with the heavy subject matter, at times made for a challenging read, albeit an incredibly important one.

As members of the orchestra, the women were tools of the Nazi's, used for personal entertainment, or to provide a sinister musical backdrop for fellow prisoners, often those marching to their deaths. Members of the orchestra were often given special privileges, including extra food and exclusion from hard labor. Knowing this caused tremendous guilt, even though playing successfully and well was the only choice for survival.

Going into this story, I thought music might have somehow been a source of joy in the camps, both for performers and prisoners, but instead it was another way for the Nazi's to torment Jews and other "criminals." Although many of the members of this concentration camp orchestra continued to make music a part of their lives after the war, some couldn't attend musical performances without becoming physically ill, and some even game up playing their instruments. This book shines a light on a part of the Holocaust I was not familiar with, but won't soon forget. 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy of this book.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By now it is fairly well known that there was a women’s orchestra at Auschwitz - a few of the members have told their stories and one of them was made into the film Playing for Time (which, I learned to my surprise, was controversial among the survivors because of fictionalized portions and the selection of Vanessa Redgrave, a tall blond woman, to play the lead). Having not read the other books, I have to believe that this may be the most comprehensive of the histories since it is not told from one survivor’s point of view and is meticulously researched to even include contradictory recollections. The book, 400 pages long, includes extensive notes and bibliography, plus a list of the orchestra members and a list of their repertoire. I was glad to see that the final chapter also included information about what happened to some of the women following liberation.

This is not an academic book, however. The author writes in a clear, easy to understand style that contains many direct quotes from the survivors. That said, it was most certainly not an easy book to read. It is impossible to read details of the extermination camps without feeling sadness, anger and futility. The author quotes Elie Wiesel in the epilogue with an exhortation to keep writing and hearing the stories. To never forget what happened.

I went into this book thinking that it would be especially difficult to read right now, when many indications are that we may be heading down a similar path. This was certainly true, but by the end I agreed with Wiesel that no matter how difficult or painful, we must remember.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.