'Gerda's Story,' faculty recitals top upcoming arts events

Tuesday: Faculty Recital, Natalia Rachford on piano, 7:30 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Thompson Recital Hall

Natalia is a Russian born pianist who started her music education at the age of 7 in her hometown Rostov-on-Don. She studied at the Music College at Moscow Conservatory when she was only 16, and graduated with honors in piano performance and pedagogy from the Moscow Music Academy. She has performed all over Russia and the United States, and is currently near the end of her doctoral program at Indiana University.

Wednesday: "Gerda's Letters," 8 p.m., Union Building, Ballroom

This one-person play is presented in conjunction with DePauw Theatre's production Gerda's Story: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor (see Thursday, September 30 for details). Performed by visiting artist JoAn Segal, it dramatizes the written exchanges between members of Gerda Nothmann Luner's family after she and her sister Vera were sent from their family home in Berlin to foster care in Holland to escape the Nazi occupation.

Thursday: "Gerda's Story: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor," 7:30 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Moore Theatre

This moving tale is the true-to-life account of Gerda Nothmann Luner's Holocaust survival. As a young girl, her hopes and dreams are forever shattered with the Nazi occupation of her homeland. Alone and courageous, Gerda's journey includes a foster family in Holland, arrest, deportation, and extraordinary circumstances that lead to her eventual emigration to America. The play, directed by Tim Good, was adapted from the memoir of Gerda Nothmann Luner by Tim Good and Junior J.C. Pankratz. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students and may be purchased at the Green Center Box Office or reserved at 653-4827 or greencenter@depauw.edu

* DePauw Jazz Ensemble, 7:30 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Kresge Auditorium

* Jazz at the Duck: Open Jazz Jam Session, 9-11 p.m., The Walden Inn, The Fluttering Duck

In its eleventh season, DePauw Jazz at the Duck is a weekly jazz series dedicated to bringing diverse programming to the DePauw and Greencastle Communities.

Friday: "Gerda's Story: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor," 7:30 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Moore Theatre

Saturday: "Gerda's Story: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor," 7:30 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Moore Theatre

Sunday: "Gerda's Story: Memoir of a Holocaust Survivor," 2:30 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Moore Theatre

* DePauw University Band, Director Craig Pare, 3 p.m., Green Center for the Performing Arts, Kresge Auditorium