A lifelong lover of classical music, Hans Herman Kahn — native of Nuremberg, survivor of Dachau,
longtime resident of Manhattan — has heard countless concerts.
Last week he attended a special concert in his honor.
A resident of the MJHS Muriel and Harold Block Hospice Residence in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx, Kahn, 93, joined three generations of his family at a performance at which he was the guest of honor.
Kahn, in a green cap, has dementia. A therapist at the residence, who noticed that his spirit always brightens when music therapists play classical melodies, suggested a concert featuring his favorites.
Music therapy intern Kimberly Miller, playing the flute, and creative arts therapist Yelena Zatulovsky, at the keyboard, entertained for an hour with works by Debussy, Mozart and other composers, along with some children’s songs for his great-grandchildren, who attended the concert.
Kahn’s hearing, says Audrey Waters, MJHS spokesperson, is “pretty good.”
Quiet at the start of the performance, he became more responsive near the end, humming along, his fingers moving “as if playing the piano,” Waters says.
“Lovely,” he declared.
Everyone, Waters says, was “pretty upbeat.”
Kahn’s late wife, also a Holocaust survivor, shared his love for classical music; their extensive record collection will eventually become the property of their grandson.
The concert for Kahn was the first of its kind organized at the residence, which has coordinated a wedding and art exhibit for other residents. It probably won’t be the last, Waters says.
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