When it was established in 1933, Dachau was the first concentration camp of the Nazi regime in Germany.
Of the more than 200,000 prisoners who passed through its gates, an estimated 30,000 "officially" perished in the camp, according to Holocaust scholars.
On Sunday, a group of 30 students and members of the Brandeis University Chorus will leave Boston heading for Germany, where two days later, they will perform a memorial service on the grounds of the former concentration camp outside Munich.
Chorus member Emily Griffin, 20, of Beverly, who sings alto, said she is a little nervous about being overwhelmed with feeling at such a place.
"I am just hoping I can open my mouth and make sound come out. I worry that, in a place like that, the emotional weight will make it too daunting to sing."
Said Nicholas Brown, chorus and tour manager: "This trip is very important to me. I have been working on making it happen since last spring, serving as the tour manager. To me, going on a concert tour gets at the heart of why we as musicians make music, to impact people on a deep emotional level."
A baritone, Brown, 19, of Newton, said he's been singing since his freshman year at Newton South High School, where he graduated in 2006. He is pursuing a degree in music from Brandeis.
The recital at Dachau will take place in a synagogue on the camp grounds, he said.
"(It's) our way of honoring those who died in World War II and showing our appreciation for their legacy," Brown said. "Our school has a strong connection to the atrocities against the Jewish people in World War II and we were founded by the American Jewish community after that war."
Brown said the trip is also significant to the Brandeis Department of Music because it's the first concert tour of any Brandeis student ensemble.
"It's a milestone in the history of Brandeis University," Brown said. "For the participants, this is going to be a life-changing experience."
Brown said he has beem on two concert tours to Europe. A French horn player, he serves in the Massachusetts Army National Guard's 215th Army Band stationed in Fall River.
"The overall personal experience of going on an international concert tour makes you a better person," he said. "(It) makes you appreciate what you have, and it makes you have a greater appreciation for the differences between people of different cultures."
The Dachau visit is one stop during a weeklong international tour to Munich, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria. The trip, under the direction of music Professor James Olesen is Feb. 17-24.
Brandeis student Caleb Smith, 20, from Haverhill, an economics and Islamic studies major at Brandeis, has been a bass octave vocalist in the chorus for the past four years. Recently he's been mapping out his trip to Germany, buying adapters for his cell phone and charting out religious destinations.
"I'm going to get to see, as a Christian, a lot of churches. There certainly are a lot of them over there ... I want to see what churches are like over there in Europe," Smith said. "It will be for the first time that I've been to a country where English is not spoken as a primary language."
Smith said the chorus plans to sing a variety of musical styles during its trip to Dachau.
"We're going to be singing a variety of German folk pieces from German composers as well as a few religious pieces in Latin," Smith said. "We'll also be singing some American folk songs and some songs in Hebrew to try and represent Brandeis."
According to Smith, the chorus' musical selection will represent the spirit of the university.
"I think it's the character of Brandeis and it's something we're interested in doing for ourselves," Smith said. "I'm not Jewish, but as a member of Brandeis, it seems like it would be a powerful experience. I know that some of the people over here have ancestors connected to the Holocaust and while we're over in Germany, it seems like something we should really do."
The students will also have the chance to learn about German and Austrian culture through guided tours and visits to historical and cultural locations.
Chorus member Leah Merker, 20, of Somers, N.Y., an alto vocalist who has sung since her freshman year of high school, said the trip is a chance for her to explore a new country and bond with her classmates.
"I have only been on one choir trip, which took place my junior year in high school and we went to Canada," Merker said. "I have never been out of North America before and to have the opportunity to do so, while traveling with such a friendly and talented group of people, is something I am really looking forward to."
The tour is funded in part by the participating students, with the assistance of fundraising efforts from the Brandeis Department of Music. For more information, contact Brown at 617-222-0793 or at nabrown@brandeis.edu.
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or at jgilbrid@cnc.com
