HMD 2024 UK Ceremony Contributors

Elisabeth Asenbaum-Stojka is the daughter of Johann Stojka. Her father and his family were persecuted by the Nazis because they were Roma. The family recently found out about a book of poems that their Father wrote as a 14 year old boy in Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

Kitoko Bibarwa is a Rwandan Afro Beat singer, producer and songwriter. He is a Rwandan Afro-Beat Awards winner and has performed in different places in Rwanda throughout the month of April during genocide memorial events. He performed at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa and has performed in almost every continent!

Chickenshed is a theatre company for absolutely everyone. For fifty years, they have created bold and beautiful work from their limitless belief in each other. Through their productions, performance training, education courses and outreach projects, they create wonder out of chaos and change out of challenge. Chickenshed, theatre changing lives.

Louisa Clein is a stage and screen actress, featuring in shows such as Emmerdale, Hapless and Judge John Deed, amongst others. She has recently performed at the Royal Court in Jonathan Freedland’s play Jews in their Own Words and took part in the documentary My Family, The Holocaust and Me. Louisa is also the daughter of Holocaust survivor, Channa Salomonson.

Gemma Franco studied with The Royal Academy of Music and trained with Chickenshed Theatre Company. Previous productions have taken her to the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Opera House. An actor, composer, gigging musician and singer, Gemma is also a home-educating mother to three. She is delighted to be performing for this special event alongside friends and accompanying musicians: Paul Cooper, Simon Ardeman, Antony Ardeman.

Claudia Harrison has been an actor for over 20 years, featuring in shows such as Humans, The IT Crowd and Murphy’s Law. She can currently be seen playing Princess Anne in Netflix’s The Crown. She is also an Academy Associate Teacher for RADA and a film she directed was nominated for Drama Inspiration of the Year Award at the National Education Awards.

Matthew Morrison, a versatile British actor and voiceover artist hailing from Nottinghamshire, honed his skills with training from the esteemed National Youth Theatre and the National Youth Film Academy. Beyond his creative performances, Matthew holds academic prowess, having earned both a BSc and an MSc in Mathematics. In leisure moments, he immerses himself in the world of anime and finds joy in podcasts during his walks.

Antoinette Mutabazi was just 11 years old when she survived the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994. She spent several weeks in the bush hiding from killers who had brutally murdered most of her family. Her brother was shot and died in her arms, her mother was killed on her birthday, and she survived a massacre in a church by hiding under dead bodies.

Josh Nesbitt is a highly accomplished pianist, vocalist and session player known for his exceptional talent and versatility. His repertoire spans various genres, from musical theatre classics to contemporary hits, and he is a skilled arranger. Trained at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Josh combines classical foundation with the ability to play by ear.

Ivor Perl BEM was born in 1932 in Hungary. In March 1944, his family were forced into a ghetto before being deported to Auschwitz. He survived Auschwitz-Birkenau as a 12 year old boy. Of his mother, father and eight siblings, only he and his brother Alec survived. As well as Auschwitz, Ivor survived Allach and Dachau concentration camps.

Jonathan Pryce is an award-winning British actor of the stage and screen. Notable performances include portraying Prince Phillip on The Crown for Netflix, the formidable High Sparrow in HBO’s Game of Thrones and his role as Pope Francis in the 2020 film The Two Popes which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Vera Schaufeld MBE was born in Prague in 1930. She was just nine years old when she was saved and brought to England by Sir Nicholas Winton, leaving her family behind in Czechoslovakia. Her parents, grandparents on both sides, and several family members were murdered in Nazi concentration camps.

Harri Stojka is a renowned Jazz musician and recently found out about a book of poems that his father wrote as a 14 year old boy in Buchenwald Concentration Camp. His father and his family were persecuted by the Nazis because they were Roma.

Mala Tribich MBE was born in Poland in 1930. When the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, her family were taken to a Nazi ghetto. She and a cousin were sheltered by a Christian family but had to assume the identity of relatives visiting from Warsaw. She survived Ravensbrück and Bergen-Belsen concentration camps and was eventually liberated by the British army in 1945.

Jonny Turgel is the Cantor at Stanmore Synagogue. He regularly performs at weddings and concerts worldwide. He is the proud grandson of Holocaust survivors, the late Sam Gardner and Gena Turgel MBE. Alongside his singing career, Jonny is also a successful Speech Therapist, specialising in treating people with voice disorders.

Nina Wadia OBE is an award-winning stage and screen actress renowned for her roles in shows such as Goodness Gracious Me and Eastenders. Nina began her career in theatre and has starred in many productions including Bleak Expectations and Macbeth. On the big screen, her credits include Bend it Like Beckham, Aladdin and Four on Netflix which she also executively produced.

Doris Weinrich is the daughter of Johann Stojka. Her father and his family were persecuted by the Nazis because they were Roma. The family recently found out about a book of poems that their father wrote as a 14 year old boy in Buchenwald Concentration Camp.