Hold On To Your Music

Synopsis

Hold On To Your Music – a mother’s legacy, is powerful multi-generational film that brings to life American concert pianist Mona Golabek’s internationally acclaimed book and play, “The Pianist of Willesden Lane”.

At its heart, this is the story of Mona’s mother, pianist Lisa Jura, a musical prodigy in pre-war Vienna, whose promising future is shattered by the rise of the Nazi regime. In an impossibly difficult “Sophie’s Choice” decision, her parents send 14-year-old Lisa to London on the Kindertransport.  

Lisa clings to the last words her mother says to her at the train station in Vienna: “hold on to your music, it will be your best friend.” Against all odds, she earns the opportunity to study at the Royal Academy of Music, debuts on the London stage, marries a decorated French resistance fighter, and guides her two daughters to become concert pianists themselves. 

Spanning three generations – from pre-war Europe through the London Blitz to the present day, the film is a sweeping testament to survival, the power of music, and the enduring strength of a mother’s love. The film features interviews of towering Jewish scholars, including the late Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Dr. Michael Berenbaum, and Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat. 

About the Directors

Adam R. Wood

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.

Josh Aronson

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 Film Festival in November. 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 500commercials before turning to documentaries. His first film, Sound & Fury premiered at Sundance and was nominated for an Academy Award. Since then, Aron son has made award winning documentaries on a fascinating variety of subjects. He is also a concert pianist and play schamber music in New York and at the Telluride Music fest, the chamber music festival he founded with his wife, violinist Maria Bachmann. Among Aronson’s many feature documentaries which showed on PBS, Showtime, Netflix and Nickelodeon: Orchestra of Exiles, To Be of Service, Talent Has Hunger, Beautiful Daughters, The Opposite Sex, Bullrider, Andrew and Wendy. To learn more about Josh Aronson: Aronsonfilms.com

Artistic Statement

Adam R. Wood

For me, documentary filmmaking is about uncovering the extraordinary in the real, finding the human pulse within stories that shape our world, and giving voice to people and moments that might otherwise remain unseen. 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

I’ve been making films for 40 years, but more and more I realize that my near total focus for the past 25 on making feature documentaries, has been, at root, a personal path to self awareness, and a vehicle for education. 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.