The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust (HMDT) announces the judging panel for its new music competition, HMD Harmony, inviting young musicians and composers to create original music for Holocaust Memorial Day.

Broadcaster, Chair of Jewish Music Institute and advocate for Holocaust remembrance Rob

Rinder MBE; award winning performer, Principal and CEO of The Royal Central School of

Speech and Drama Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE; acclaimed pianist and educator Matthew Schellhorn; and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Music, Alex Sobel MP will be among those judging the competition.

They will be joined on the panel by Dr Linda Asquith, HMDT Trustee and musician, and Olivia Marks-Woldman OBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, together bringing musical expertise with a deep understanding of Holocaust remembrance and the importance of Holocaust Memorial Day.

HMD Harmony is open to UK-based musicians and composers aged 18–25 and invites entrants to create an original piece inspired by the Holocaust Memorial Day 2027 theme, No Place for Prejudice. Entries can be in any musical style or genre, from classical and contemporary to electronic, folk, jazz and pop.

The winning composition will become part of the UK National Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony on 27 January 2027, giving an emerging musician or group the opportunity to share their work as part of the nation's day of remembrance. The winner will also receive a £500 award to support the next stage of their musical journey.

The UK National Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony is the focal point of Holocaust

Memorial Day commemorations across the country, bringing together Holocaust survivors, senior political and faith leaders and leading figures from public life.

Rob Rinder MBE said: “Music has a unique power to reach us emotionally and to connect us with life stories and experiences that might otherwise feel distant. My own family history has taught me how important it is that the lessons from the Holocaust are remembered and passed on. I am very proud to be a judge for HMD Harmony and look forward to hearing how young musicians use their creativity to explore what remembrance means to them today.” Matthew Schellhorn, pianist and educator, said: “Music has a unique ability to foster remembrance and understanding across generations, and I greatly admire the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust’s commitment to encouraging young musicians to create new work that reflects hope, empathy and our shared humanity. I am delighted to contribute my experience as a performer and educator to the judging process and look forward to hearing how young musicians respond to this important opportunity.”

Olivia Marks-Woldman, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, said: “HMD Harmony gives young people the opportunity to bring their own creativity to remembrance. We hope it will encourage a new generation to understand why remembrance matters and the role we can all play in standing against prejudice today.”

Holocaust Memorial Day takes place on 27 January. It is a national day to commemorate the 6 million Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust, and the millions more murdered under the Nazi persecution of other communities. It was also founded to support learning and remembrance of where persecution led in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. As antisemitism and other forms of prejudice continue today, Holocaust Memorial Day brings the nation together to remember persecutions of the past and stand against hatred and division in the present.

The deadline for entries is Monday 9 November 2026. For further information about HMD Harmony visit hmd.org.uk.

-ENDS-

For further information and interviews, please contact:

Emma Doggart, Head of Communications at Holocaust Memorial Day Trust emma.doggart@hmd.org.uk

Note to Editors

The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust is the charity established by the Government to promote and support Holocaust Memorial Day in the UK. It reaches millions of people each year: it leads the National Commemoration, enables hundreds of thousands of people in communities, schools and organisations to mark Holocaust Memorial Day each year through events and education and Light the Darkness, a collective moment of remembrance that takes place across the nation at 8pm on 27 January. Through its work, the Holocaust

Memorial Day Trust deepens understanding of the Holocaust, helps protect against Holocaust denial and distortion and shapes a better future built on empathy, understanding and respect.

Logo

Tags

More Like This

Celebrities and political, faith, and civic leaders join survivors of genocide to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Political, faith, and civic leaders and celebrities join survivors to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Prime Minister have joined survivors of genocide to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Holocaust survivor Steven Frank BEM tours factory where Holocaust Memorial Day candles are made

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer meets with Holocaust survivors and survivor of Bosnian genocide to mark Holocaust Memorial Day

Iconic landmarks across the UK light up in purple for Holocaust Memorial Day

National Commemorative 3D Candle Moment at Piccadilly Circus for Holocaust Memorial Day

Iconic landmarks from across the UK light up purple for Holocaust Memorial Day