Conlon will bring examples to Cincinnati of music banned and often destroyed by the Nazis in a program called Forbidden Music: Silenced Voices, when he conducts the Linton Chamber Music Series, Dec. 5 at the First Unitarian Church, Avondale and Dec. 6 at Congregation Ohav Shalom in Montgomery.

"There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces written by these composers, which are virtually unknown by musicians and the public," said Conlon, speaking between concerts of music by Holocaust composers Viktor Ullmann and Erwin Schulhoff. He recently conducted works by both men with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. "I am in 2004 trying to get as many orchestras to participate and play one piece by any of these composers as I can, just to start the ball rolling, so that people become aware of what's there."

Chamber music by these composers is also important, he adds. For the Cincinnati concerts, he'll conduct Ullmann's Six Lieder, Op. 17, with soprano Marjorie Owens as soloist. Hot Sonata, a jazzy, 1930s piece by Schulhoff, will feature pianist Michael Chertock and Rick VanMatre, director of jazz studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, on alto sax.

Other works, still being determined, may include Schulhoff's jazz piano pieces or The Bass Nightingale for contrabassoon.

"It's important those people that love chamber music become aware of how much is written, that can be loved and cherished," Conlon said.

Ullmann, a prisoner in the "model" concentration camp Theresienstadt (Terezin), died in a gas chamber, a fate similar to that of fellow Theresienstadt composers Hans Krasa, Pavel Haas and Gideon Klein. Schulhoff, a native of Prague, died in a Bavarian concentration camp in 1942. Others fled to the United States, such as Arnold Schoenberg, Darius Milhaud, Kurt Weill and Erich Korngold.

Conlon, who last month was named music director of the Los Angeles Opera, is music director of the Cincinnati May Festival. Before his Linton appearances, he'll be guest-conducting an orchestral performance of The Nutcracker with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Dec. 3-5 in Music Hall (tickets: 381-3300).

Linton single tickets: $30. Subscriptions to the Linton Series are $170 or $100 for Encore! Linton in Montgomery. 381-6868.

E-mail jgelfand@enquirer.com