Renowned Pianist Will Recount Family's Harrowing WWII Story

BEACHWOOD, OH — A one-woman theatrical performance recounting a woman's survival, resilience and triumph during World War II will come to Northeast Ohio.

Concert pianist Mona Golabek will perform "The Children of Willesden Lane" on Nov. 7. Golabek wrote a book of the same name which recounts her mother's trials and tribulations through World War II.

The free performance will be held at the Maltz Performing Arts Center, 1855 Ansel Road, Cleveland. While the concert is free and open to the public, advance online registration is requested. Face coverings are required for attendees.

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Mona Golabek is the daughter of Lisa Jura, a child piano prodigy born in Vienna. Jura escaped to England as a refugee in 1938. Golabek's father was French resistance fighter Michel Golabek, who received the Croix de Guerre.

Golabek's grandparents died at Auschwitz.

"Mona, deeply inspired by her mother’s story and the last words her mother heard at the train station, “Hold on to your music….it will be your best friend” became a concert pianist and has performed with major conductors and orchestras worldwide. The Grammy nominee and prolific recording artist has traveled the globe sharing her mother’s story," the Maltz Museum said in a statement.

Following her in-person performance, Golabek will hold a second, virtual event exclusively for schools. Teachers can register for the free, 50-minute program called The Willesden READS.