Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane at San Diego Repertory Theatre

Grammy-nominated pianist and storyteller Mona Golabek shares the gripping tale of a young girl who holds on to her music in order to stay alive.

In Vienna, 1938, a 14 year old piano prodigy finds her dreams of becoming a concert pianist threatened by the looming war in Europe. When her parents buy her a one way ticket to England on the Kindertransport, the< children’s survival train, an amazing story of art preserving life begins... In this mesmerizing theatrical event, Mona Golabek is both actress and pianist. She tells this incomparable story while caressing the concert grand piano that is center stage with the music of Grieg, Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy, Bach and even a little Gershwin. The world class artist Hershey Felder adapts and directs this tour de force in an elegantly beautiful production.

The Pianist of Willesden Lane is a tale told deep from the heart about the power of music to heal and sustain the soul.