"Words are the language of the heart…."
•
"Words are the language of the heart…." •
"Music is the language is the language of the soul”
•
"Music is the language is the language of the soul” •
-Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
Hold On To Your Music - A Mother’s Legacy
Nominated for Best Documentary
A multi-generational documentary inspired by Mona Golabek’s The Pianist of Willesden Lane.
At 14, pianist Lisa Jura leaves Vienna on the Kindertransport with one instruction from her mother: “Hold on to your music.” In London, that promise becomes a lifeline - leading to the Royal Academy of Music, a debut on the London stage, and a legacy that shapes concert pianist Mona Golabek.
Spanning pre-war Europe, the Blitz, and today, the film is a testament to survival, the power of music, and a mother’s love. Featuring Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Dr. Michael Berenbaum, and Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat.
A film by Josh Aronson (Sound & Fury, Orchestra of Exiles) and Adam R. Wood (Clouds Over Cuba, Heval).
Film Festival Appearances
-
UK Jewish Film Festival
World Premiere + Q&A with protagonist Mona Golabek, director Josh Aronson and producer Wendy Fisher
Saturday 15th November, 8pm
Curzon MayfairAn extraordinary and life-affirming tale, this fascinating film is a sweeping testament to survival, artistry, and the enduring strength of a mother’s love.
Stay tuned for more updates and festival showings
Directors’ Statements
Adam R. Wood
-
That passion is what drew me to Hold On To Your Music, a sweeping multi-generational story rooted in Mona Golabek’s book and play The Pianist of Willesden Lane. At its heart, the film tells the story of Lisa Jura, a young prodigy who, forced to flee Vienna on the Kindertransport, survived by clinging to her music and her mother’s words.
Her journey, and the legacy she passed to her daughters and beyond, reflects everything I seek in documentary: resilience, artistry, and the way personal stories illuminate universal truths. To me, this project isn’t only a testament to survival and the endurance of love—it’s a reminder of documentary’s power to connect past and present, to carry memory forward, and to inspire hope in audiences to hold on to what matters most.
Josh Aronson
-
In essence, I realize that the draw for me, for each one, is that every film has required a deep dive into its own world. Trauma, war, disability, identity, gender, creativity – I’d like to think that each total immersion gave me a deepened understanding of this human experience we all share. Hold on To Your Music, which I actually began shooting 13 years ago, only to return to it in 2025, encompasses many of these themes; I am deeply grateful to have been able to come back to it to continue the exploration into what makes the human experience so astonishingly beautiful and painful.
Our Team
-
Mona Golabek
Founder
Mona Golabek is the founder and president of the Hold On To Your Music Foundation.
#fhtogglels/Read Full Bio +/Close –/eb
Author, recording artist, and internationally renowned concert pianist Mona Golabek learned to play the piano from her mother, Holocaust survivor Lisa Jura, whose stories inspired the critically acclaimed book, The Children of Willesden Lane.
Her father, Michel Golabek, fought valiantly in the French resistance and received the Croix de Guerre. Mona’s grandparents died at Auschwitz.
The Children of Willesden Lane has been translated in more than a dozen languages including Arabic and Simplified Chinese.
In 2012, Mona made her stage debut in The Pianist of Willesden Lane, directed by Hershey Felder. The production has been celebrated by critics and audiences with sold out theatrical runs in New York, London, and many other cities. Mona has received Best Actress nominations from the New York Drama Desk and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle.
A Grammy nominee, Mona is a prolific recording artist and has been the subject of several PBS documentaries including Concerto for Mona with conductor Zubin Mehta. Her discography includes the best-selling Carnival of the Animals and Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, both recorded with her sister Renee and receiving Grammy nominations.
In 2002, Mona formed the Hold On To Your Music Foundation. Its mission is to foster hope through the power of storytelling and music and embolden the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Her foundation partners with several renowned educational organizations including USC Shoah Foundation and Discovery Education and has created The Willesden Project which brings her mother’s story to students and communities across the globe.
Mona has brought the inspirational message of “Willesden Lane” to millions of readers and audiences worldwide as she continues to hold on to the music that saved her mother’s life.
-
Josh Aronson
Producer/Director/Writer
Hold On To Your Music - A Mother’s Legacy is Aronson’s latest documentary. The film will make its world premiere at the UK Jewish Fim Festival in November.
#fhtogglels/Read Full Bio +/Close –/eb
After starting his career as a still photographer for Time Life, Aronson began directing television films and commercials. Through Aronson Films, he directed music videos, television pilots and specials and over 500 commercials before turning to documentaries. His first film, Sound & Fury, premiered at Sundance and was nominated for an Academy Award. Since then, Aronson has made award-winning documentaries on a fascinating variety of subjects. He is also a concert pianist and plays chamber music in New York and at the Telluride Musicfest, the chamber music festival he founded with his wife, violinist Maria Bachmann.
Aronson has directed several feature documentaries that have aired on PBS, Showtime, Netflix, and Nickelodeon, including Orchestra of Exiles, To Be of Service, Talent Has Hunger, Beautiful Daughters, The Opposite Sex, Bullrider, and Andrew and Wendy.
-
Adam R. Wood
Director
From music videos for global superstars to Emmy-winning storytelling, Adam R. Wood has built a career defined by versatility and impact.
#fhtogglels/Read Full Bio +/Close –/eb
A British-born, Los Angeles–based director, producer, and editor, he began his career in music management, working with artists such as Jay Sean and Craig David, before transitioning to visual storytelling for acts including Michael Jackson, Pharrell, and Tyga. His editorial work shaped campaigns for Audi, PlayStation, and Call of Duty, while his Emmy-winning work on Clouds Over Cuba earned international acclaim with eleven Cannes Lions and a D&AD Yellow Pencil, cementing his reputation as a storyteller who blends artistry with cultural relevance.
Today, Adam’s slate spans ambitious documentaries and scripted projects. His directing credits include Heval (Sky Studios/Curiosity Stream) and upcoming titles such as McDojoLife with Jocko Willink, while The Internationalists explores the war in Ukraine. On the scripted side, he co-created Not Quite There Yet, a comedy-drama inspired by his and Jay Sean’s real-life experiences. With projects ranging from Emmy-recognized documentaries to BAFTA-affiliated scripted series, Adam continues to push boundaries, blending genre, innovation, and humanity across every medium he touches.
