Einstein's Time Machine: The Life and Work of Composer Julia Kerr

Caputh in the 1920s. At an evening gathering, Albert Einstein presents his latest invention: a time machine. But which era should the journey go to? This scene marks the beginning of the opera “Der Chronoplan”, a work by composer Julia Kerr.

Julia Kerr (1898–1965) was a promising composer whose career came to an abrupt end when she fled the National Socialists. As the wife of theatre critic Alfred Kerr and mother of author Judith Kerr and judge Michael Kerr, her own story was often overshadowed by the memory of her family. During the 15 years of exile in Switzerland, France and finally England, she was the family’s main breadwinner. In 1947, she returned to Germany alone and witnessed the Nuremberg Trials as an interpreter.
When she fled Nazi Germany, Julia Kerr always carried the score of her opera with her, and after her return she resumed work on it. At the end of the 1940s, the opera, for which Alfred Kerr had written the text, was recorded for the first time and broadcast on the radio. It was not until around 90 years later, in January 2026, that “Der Chronoplan” received its world premiere at the Mainz State Theatre following an elaborate reconstruction.

In cooperation with the Einstein Forum and the Mainz State Theatre , the Exilmuseum Foundation is now bringing Julia Kerr’s music to the setting of her opera for the first time. In the garden of Einstein’s summer house in Caputh, songs by Kerr will be performed with the participation of Prof. Norbert Biermann (piano) and Ruth Rosenfeld (vocals), accompanied by a reading. Musicologist Dr Christian Leitmeir of the University of Oxford will give an introduction to Julia Kerr’s life and work. In addition, an artistic intervention by German-British artist Sophie von Hellermann will be on display.

The event is part of the Embassies of Exile series, in which the Exilmuseum cooperates with embassy representations and cultural institutions worldwide. We are delighted that the British Ambassador Andrew Mitchell will be present on this occasion.