By Richard Kerns
rkerns@newstribune.info
Tribune Staff Writer
KEYSER – Highland Arts Unlimited will host a concert pianist in Keyser next month for a program that tells the story of a young Jewish girl who escaped the Holocaust as part of the “Kindertransport” to Great Britain.
Mona Golabek, an internationally acclaimed pianist and Grammy-nominated recording artist, is the daughter of Lisa Jura, the young Austrian girl who who was 14 when her parents, able to send only one of their three daughters to safety in England, chose Lisa, a musical prodigy who aspired to be a classical pianist.
Golabek’s program, which will also be presented to eighth and 11th graders from the Mineral County school system, combines story telling with the songs of her mother’s youth.
“She weaves together the story with the music her mother taught her,” said Shirley Hackworth, President of Highland Arts Unlimited, which is sponsoring the program with support from the Mineral County Board of Education and the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.
The program will be presented to the public at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 1 in the Church-McKee Arts Center at Potomac State College. Golabek will present an afternoon program that day for one group of Mineral students, and repeat her performance the next day for the rest of the students.
Hackworth said eighth and 11th graders were chosen to attend the program because they are studying World War II and the Holocaust. “We couldn’t do it for all the students,” she said. “We couldn’t have her here that long.”
In addition to the performance itself, Highland Arts is promoting a book Golabek co-wrote about her mother’s experience in England during the war, “The Children of Willesden Lane,” which is named for the hostel where her mother stayed.
The book features a teacher’s resource guide with a host of activities that integrate “The Children of Willesden Lane” into the curriculum for history, English and other subjects.
Hackworth said Putnam County schools hosted Golabek about two years ago, and officials there praised the program. “They’re still talking about it,” she said.
Highland Arts is also promoting Golabek’s book to the wider community as part of her April 1 performance. Copies have been made available to the library at Potomac State, as well as the Keyser Library. “We’re trying to make it a comprehensive, county-wide event, and get as many people to read the book as we can,” Hackworth said. “The book really just reels you in. It’s written simply, yet it’s very moving.”
As for the program that will be presented at Church-McKee, Hackworth said the story of Lisa Jura and the music of Mona Golabek are powerful enough to stand on their own, but when combined, they make for a truly memorable performance.
“She’s really a highly acclaimed concert pianist in her own right,” Hackworth said of Golabek. “And then you have this really powerful story. Everyone who can possibly get there should do so.”
Tickets for the performance at $15 for adults and $10 for students. Children under 12 are free with a paying adult.
For more information or to order tickets call 304-788-9465 or visit www.highlandarts.org.
