Draft:Roger Peltzman

Roger Peltzman (born in 1961) is an American pianist, teacher, playwright, actor, and film director based in New York City. He is best known for his one-person play, Dedication, which is about the life of his uncle Norbert Stern, a gifted pianist whose life was tragically cut short by the Nazis at Auschwitz. It’s also about his mother, a Holocaust survivor, and his own second-generation trauma. The film version of the play has been selected and shown by ten film festivals. Peltzman recorded a CD of all Chopin selections entitled "Dedication" in 2014 (Astre Recordings).

Life
Roger Charles Peltzman was born in New York City. As a child, he grew up in Blauvelt NY. The son of Nils Peltzman, a pharmacist and Beatrice (Stern) Peltzman, a social worker and Holocaust survivor. Peltzman showed an early interest in filmmaking and music. He attended the State University of Binghamton where he received degrees in Music and Cinema. There, he studied piano with renowned pedagogue, Seymour Fink. Subsequently he received a Masters Degree in piano performance from Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Zenon Fishbein. After graduating from Manhattan School of Music, Peltzman worked as a recording engineer at the legendary Water Music Recorders in Hoboken, NJ. He also produced critically acclaimed albums such as Lee Feldman's Living It All Wrong Pure/Mercury. In 2002 he joined the faculty of Third Street Music School Settlement.

Playwright and solo performer
In 2022, Mr. Peltzman first performed his play "Dedication" during a three-week run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, receiving 4 star reviews and critical acclaim. It also won the Derek Award for Best Overseas Play.

Synopis
Dedication is a 65-minute, one-person performance play that combines monologue, live piano performance, visual imagery, and humor to tell the story of Peltzman's mother's family before the World War II and her harrowing escape from the Nazis who invaded the family's attic where they were hiding. It also relates the tragic journey of his uncle—a gifted piano prodigy—from Brussels to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. As the story unfolds, family photos, letters, and documents are projected onto a screen. Drawn into the story of people he never knew, Peltzman develops a "relationship" with his uncle, Norbert Stern, a brilliant pianist who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 21. Learning that Holocaust trauma can be inherited, Peltzman recounts his coming to terms with second generation survivor trauma and the role of music in helping to manage wounds that will never fully heal. In June of 2023, Dedication had a 3 week run at London's Marlyebone Theatre. Again, the show was a critical success receiving four star reviews. "...remarkable and riveting..." Reviews Hub. ... "An amazing story told with charm, humor, and wisdom" – Spectator. Since then, Dedication has been performed in the US, Brussels, and Berlin. The film version of Dedication is distributed by Menemsha.

"Dedication" recording and concerts
In 2013, Peltzman recorded a CD of all Chopin works for Astre Recordings. The disc was dedicated to the memory of Norbert Stern, Peltzman's uncle. Stern was a talented pianist who was murdered in Auschwitz at age 21. "Dedication" was recorded at The Brussels Conservatory of Music where Stern performed and won competitions. Peltzman has performed at venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and cutting edge NYC club – (Le) Poisson Rouge.