The Cello Still Sings: A Generational Story of the Holocaust and of the Transformative Power of Music

by Janet Horvath

In a world in which antisemitism is on the rise, Horvath’s story—equal parts disturbing and inspiring—is necessary and timely reading. A poetic, nuanced tribute to the power of music and family. — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Ms Horvath's ability of unrestrained self-reflection combined with her eloquent writing style, her way of summarizing complex events into comprehensible paragraphs will not let you put the book down . — Jewish Book World

Janet Horvath tells [her parents'] gripping story with honesty and humour in an engaging style as if talking to a friend. — THE STRAD music magazine

A sweeping history of three generations darkened by the long shadow of the Holocaust, The Cello Still Sings is a vivid, moving, and true story of personal discovery. As a child Janet is haunted by the eerie hush surrounding her parents' experiences. George and Katherine, two professional musicians and Holocaust survivors, bury the memories of who and what they were before, silencing the past in order to live. Music is their lifeline. After five decades of secrets, Janet finally unravels her Holocaust heritage when she stumbles upon a clue. After the war, George performed morale-boosting programs throughout Bavaria in a twenty-member orchestra of concentration camp survivors. Although Janet also becomes a cellist, her father never discloses that two of the programs, in 1948, were led by the legendary American maestro, Leonard Bernstein. Janet's father was more fortunate than others. When he was rounded up for hard labor, narrowly missing deportation to the death camps of Auschwitz, a music-loving Nazi guard gave him gloves to protect his cello-playing hands. Janet's memoir of the Holocaust is deeply personal and illuminating. Through humor and colorful story-telling, she weaves her parents' life into her own and captures the intensity of their life experiences. The lingering scars are healed through the sustenance and power of music, and their music-making unites people from generation to generation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Book Club, Jewish, Music

418 pages, Paperback

Published February 27, 2023

About the author

A lifelong performing classical musician, as the associate principal cello of the Minnesota Orchestra from 1980-2012, Ms. Horvath is a writer, anti-racism spokesperson, and advocate for injury prevention for musicians. She has performed in recital, chamber music, and as soloist with orchestras throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and has given masterclasses and seminars for orchestras and conservatories from coast to coast. She has appeared on CBC, BBC, and NPR radio stations, and PBS television and is a popular guest speaker, live and on podcasts.

Her first book Playing (less) Hurt – An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians received international critical acclaim, winning a gold IPPY award in 2009.

The Cello Still Sings—A Generational Story of the Holocaust and of the Transformative Power of Music, her new book, is a vivid, moving, and true story of personal discovery that reads like a mystery story. When she's not playing or writing she's cooking up her mother's Hungarian recipes!

Janet's other publications include for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Minneapolis StarTribune and numerous music magazines. She completed her Masters of Music degree from Indiana University, and her MFA in creative writing from Hamline University, in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Read her entertaining music articles on www.interlude.hk

Reviews

[Heather MacLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet's book is an inspiring and engrossing read. It is extremely hard to put down once you have started it. Her father, a superb cellist, as is Janet, gave her a clue to his Holocaust story very late in his life. This clue prompted Janet's quest to unravel a timeline of her parents' Holocaust experiences. She embarks upon a daughter's quest to understand the experiences which altered and shaped her parents' lives, and consequently, the lives of her brother and herself. One feature of the book which really resonates with me is the interconnectedness of past, present, and future. Janet is extremely successful in weaving together the threads from the past that inform her present life. This is a very personal telling of one family's experiences, but the tragedies and triumphs are universally relatable. Janet's writing about music, specifically her father's and her own performances, is very powerful. She also includes wonderful descriptions of food, and even some favorite Hungarian recipes from her mother. Insightful and thoughtful, this is a beautiful book to read.

[Bonnie Gainsley]

Janet Horvath has a remarkable story to tell, and she skillfully weaves the various threads of her family's history with her own personal journey of exploration and discovery.
Her vivid writing carries the reader with her as she uncovers secrets long buried in the past. We share her excitement when finding the exact place her father performed in Landsberg, Germany in 1948 at a Displaced Person's camp, under the baton of Leonard Bernstein. And we share her tears when, 70 years later, she is invited to play cello for Kol Nidrei on that very spot, to commemorate the occasion.
Her heartfelt prose about the healing power of music and its vital role in her life, her family and for all humanity is deeply moving and inspiring, as is this entire book--so beautifully written.

Bonnie Gainsley

[Kenneth Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story echoes the expressions of many who experience war, including a friend and mentor enslaved during the Hungarian Revolution, and suffer post-war: “the price of surviving is NOT to feel.” Janet documents the horrors of the Holocaust in detail--a tale none of us can afford to forget. But the story goes on to offer an exit ramp to a new life that ultimately leads to healing, redemption, and reconciliation. She does so with riveting, colorful, and lyrical writing skills, holding a mirror up to our contemporary life. It is revealed that the universal story of her parents’ lives can become our individual stories if we so choose. This is a book about Everyman for every reader.

[Stephen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a page-turner. Not only is it captivating and thoroughly engrossing but it is cleverly written and has its own "musical" feel. Ms. Horvath has captured with integrity and truth one of the darkest moments in human history. But the story does not stop there; it moves onward to light and hope. It shines a beacon on the power music can bring to the human condition and speaks to all who need healing from life's turmoil. My spirits were lifted while reading. A heartfelt thanks.

[Nancy Snustad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading the book “The Cello Still Sings”. I have read and pondered the book over the past 6 months in my trips to be with family in Minneapolis. Reading it over time has allowed me to absorb its contents on multiple levels.
This book hits my very core. Ms Horvath discusses the atrocities of the Holocaust in alarming starkness and in the context of her personal world. Music provides a bridge to life and healing. But, the social consciousness that allowed the Holocaust still exists and is growing. Will we stand by and allow it to happen?
Thank you Ms Horvath for your courage and dedication to humanity.

[Chip Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Janet Horvath is a great writer. She turns what could be just historical facts into captivating stories. I was especially moved by the story of her father playing cello in the "Ex-Concentration Camp Orchestra" in Landsberg, Germany in 1948, conducted by Leonard Bernstein. And Janet playing cello in the same place, 70 years later, to memorialize its 70th anniversary. Really well done.

[Prashanth Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a powerful account of a story that spans generations . it's a story that takes place in holocaust era.
Janet whose family suffers in holocaust.
years later she discovers a clue and finds what happens.
this novel talks about the music and legacy of a family.
the emotional journey is very moving.
loved it .
but it drained me emotionally.

[ಸುಶಾಂತ ಕುರಂದವಾಡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice story of generations that evolves around a family of music. A very heart-warming story which emphasizes on self-healing with music. A nice one to read.

[Gene LaFond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a incredible story of an extremely talented and dedicated musician who goes all the way to the source of her family’s horrific & inspiring history during the holocaust & her determination to seek out all the stories of her father’s personal ordeal, how music helped heal the trauma & how the talent & dedication was passed on to her. It details her search for the history behind the ordeal her parents suffered. This is a “ must read” for anyone interested in the truth about the holocaust, how it effected her family & her personal growth to become one of the finest musicians of her era. Please read it.

[Michael Hillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Janet Horvath's "The Cello Still Sings: A Generational Story of the Holocaust and the Transformative Power of Music" I had a special connection to the book as I used to hear Janet Play with the Minnesota Orchestra and like her I am a musician who suffers from damage to my hearing so I understand the agony she went thru in dealing with this disability. More importantly I was inspired how she managed to spend her energies exploring her parent's past and their history in the Holocaust. Her mother and father and she are part of an inspiring story of courage, healing and faith.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must-read book for all. It’s a candid, heart-wrenching, beautifully-written memoir and is, sadly, still very relevant to what’s going on in our world today.

[Cheryl Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being the child of Holocaust survivors colored all aspects of Janet Horvath's life, as related in her complex and fascinating memoir, The Cello Still Sings. The most intriguing part of the book for me was the story of how she came to know her parents' survival stories, which they did not talk about with her or her brother. They rarely even referred to that time, even obliquely, even as it continued to shape their lives. This aspect of the memoir has elements of a detective story, with chance remarks yielding tantalizing clues that research gradually illuminated.

Another aspect of the memoir was the view into the life and career of a professional orchestral musician. Horvath had a long career as the associate principal cellist of the Minnesota Orchestra, following in the footsteps of her father, who played cello in the Toronto Symphony. As someone interested in the lives of classical musicians, I found the narrative of her career--auditions, travel, working with other musicians--deeply interesting. The book is also, in part, a memoir of caregiving, as she and her brother navigated the options for care for their frail and declining parents who both had suffered severe trauma in their early years. As I have increasingly become a caregiver for my husband, who is much older than I am, I was also quite attuned to the issues Horvath related and was touched by those parts of the book.

Throughout the book, there is an acknowledged tension between the importance of Judaism in her life and the instinct to hide her Jewishness--a tension she internalized from a young age. It was very satisfying to see how she found a way to integrate the aspects of her identity and her family's history through sharing that history with others through music.

[Meredith Piniella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tops my list of "must- reads"

Loved this book, beginning to end!
I've read a dozen or more holocaust true stories, but this one is from a different perspective: she starts out telling us of the dysfunctional family she grew up in; her father's unexplainable outbursts, her mother's loving but overprotective care; her love for both notwithstanding.
Her father's secrets come out first; her mother's come from an unexpected source after her death.
This book delves into the psychological ramifications for the children of holocaust survivors, in layman's terms, easy to understand and follow.
Don't brush this one off; it's important and relevant in this day & age.

[Paul Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extrordinary book

Janet has written an extraordinary narrative that contrasts the horrors of the subject with the grace and kindness of many who refuse to forget. The story then closes with a somber and appropriate warning for contemporary times. This book forces us to consider the rise of Antisemitism in America and the incredible intolerance for refugees and immigrants in 2025 and what that portends for our future.

[Nancy-Laurel Pettersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brave, deep, and necessary book. Janet Horvath traces the unraveling of her family silence around the experience of the Holocaust. What she finds is music woven through the fabric of the story, in her parents' lives, in her own life. The story sings.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an ambitious book, having three sections or themes, though they are not distinctly presented. Most of it worked very well, was moving, and was well written.

The story begins as a memoir of a child of Holocaust survivors, how the author’s parents' experience suffused her childhood and how music brought emotions/positive emotions back. The story was well written, lyrical in parts, a page turner, and very powerful. For me, it was a very very similar story to those told to me by other children of survivors. The parent most harmed/scarred vacillates between emotions of rage or sadness and silence. After an outburst, the parent goes silent, never speaking of that incident again, acting as though everything is perfectly normal. The Holocaust is never mentioned. The other parent-either not a survivor or less scarred- does everything she can to present order, perfect children, and a perfect home to the damaged parent: don’t upset your father, house perfect, dinner on the table time, “nothing to see here”. The children are always uncertain and on guard, having no idea what is happening or why. They take on the devasting psychological burden of trying to keep a parent happy.

Intertwined with that is that music brought immense joy both to the damaged father and to the author, both of whom were renowned cello players, the author with the Minnesota symphony. This music brought emotions back to the father that he had shut off to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.

I recalled the words of György Sebök a Hungarian-born Jewish pianist/musician, who came to the United States in the early 1960s. He had a similar experience to Janet’s father, György/George Horvath. During World War II Sebök had been conscripted into the German army but as participation was barred to anyone Jewish, he, like Janet Horvath’s father, was a forced laborer. Professor Sebök said this:
"after the war there was a time that I was suffering from not suffering. I had the feeling that I inhibited all my feelings and my reactions to any thing, not just music. One had to overcome all kind of feelings, primitive ones like fear or being in danger of life at many times. The aim was not to really feel deeply, even it was the opposite. It was to survive and the price of surviving is not to feel. And that not to feel, sooner or later, includes music itself. And then after the war, life started again and I had the feeling that music is obviously something wonderful, but the connection to the essence of it was lost. I knew, it’s obviously wonderful, it’s beautiful […Yes it was acknowledging of beauty or greatness, but playing that transcription [he plays piano again] And after the long toccata comes… [he plays again] And I felt something very strange: my throat, some strings that were not functioning started to vibrate.”

Janet Horvath’s first person memoir about being a child of Holocaust survivors and about the power of music is the subtitle of the book: A Generational Story of the Holocaust and of the Transformative Power of Music.

The second theme or part of the story was the author's own tragedy, her struggle with hearing damage, hyperacusis (the inability to tolerate loud sounds), that caused her to have to leave her beloved career with the orchestra to try to heal. When I read this part, I questioned why this was part of the memoir. However, as part of this saga, the author realizes that not only did her parents suffer horrible injuries and losses in the Holocaust but also they had amazing determination to survive and rebuilt. She takes that new knowledge to help her figure out a way to play music again and begin a second career.

Finally, the third theme or “section” was recounting history, racism, antisemitism, and the resurgence of hate, racism and antisemitism in modern day America. [ah, most recently the Coast Guard first reclassified swastikas and nooses as merely “potentially divisive.”..]

Much of the history and writing of racism and antisemitism didn’t seem to fit as well into this memoir. Perhaps the author thought the reader needed to be told these facts, although most readers probably had learned these topics elsewhere, not from memoirs. I thought these very important topics could have been integrated better into, or omitted from, this memoir altogether.

Overall this is a well written memoir by one of the children of Holocaust survivors and worth reading.

[Ozioma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet Horvath’s The Cello Still Sings is a haunting and profoundly human exploration of memory, trauma, and the healing power of music. It’s one of those rare memoirs that manages to be both deeply personal and historically resonant, a bridge between generations built through sound, silence, and survival.

At its core, the book tells the story of Janet’s relationship with her father, a Holocaust survivor and professional cellist. Through her vivid reflections, she unearths not only her family’s painful past but also the lingering echoes of inherited trauma that shaped her own life. What struck me most was how the book doesn’t just recount history, it feels it. The music, the grief, the unspoken weight of survival, everything pulses through the pages like a low, steady note beneath the melody.

I was especially moved by the role of music in the camps how, for some of the Jewish prisoners, their ability to play became a fragile lifeline, a way to stay alive through horror. That juxtaposition, beauty surviving beside brutality, is what makes this memoir unforgettable. It reminds me that even in humanity’s darkest moments, art can still whisper hope.

Another detail that stayed with me was Janet’s mother. Despite the unimaginable circumstances surrounding her, she remained an image of elegance and quiet dignity. I loved that the horror and carnage of the time didn’t strip that from her, that beauty could still exist amid devastation. It’s a subtle but powerful testament to resilience and grace.

Reading “The Cello Still Sings” felt like standing between generations, listening to the grief that shaped them and the music that helped them endure. Janet writes with tenderness and honesty, unraveling not only her parents’ story but also her own reckoning with identity, silence, and inherited memory.

This is not just a Holocaust memoir; it’s a meditation on survival, art, and the ways we carry the past in our bones. It’s about the power of creation to defy destruction, how even after everything, the cello still sings.

[Nancy Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mini-Review

I listened to the audio version of the book. I wish it had been narrated by the author, since it was such an emotional and personal telling of her story.

Pros

Story of a daughter of Hungarian holocaust survivors who shares their talent and love for classical music is a worthy topic.

Memoir is written in refined, vivid prose with enough detail to transport the reader to the scenes described—both during wartime and in later years.

Ms. Horvath‘s intense interest in her parents‘ wartime experiences was understandable and the effort she took to uncover their secrets was prodigious and successful.

Ms. Horvath obviously adored her parents, including her irascible and often sullen father. In her memoir she expresses her love as well as the considerable difficulties of being raised by parents emotionally scarred by the holocaust.

Cons

The organization of the book was a bit confusing. There was repetition and the side narratives summarizing events of the war in general were very long. The book would have benefited from editing to prune the text back to about 2/3 of the published version.

Although this is a tricky point to make, I felt that Ms. Horvath could have been just a little bit broader minded in her approach to assessing blame and victimhood. She seemed surprised that modern German gentiles were so generous and welcoming when she came to do a cello performance. An intelligent, well-educated person who had actually visited Germany previously surely would have known that a Jewish professional musician invited to perform in a concert to honor her her holocaust survivor father would be welcomed and treated with great courtesy. Her stated fear of walking onto the stage as a Jewish musician seemed hard to understand in context.

Summary

It is a very interesting and meaningful memoir worth reading even if one has already read many other holocaust-related memoirs. I would have given it five stars if it had been edited more effectively.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Janet Horvath has written a wonderful tribute to her parents who were both professional musicians and holocaust survivors. Interspersed with their fascinating story is Janet's own personal story as a professional cellist. She vividly describes her childhood, which was full of love and encouragement, even though there were certain subjects that were "off limits" to discuss with her parents. One day when she was well into her fifties her father suddenly opened up to her about a remarkable experience he had during the war, which led Janet on a quest to find out more. What unfolds is a moving journey of healing and redemption.
As a professional cellist myself, I loved reading about Janet's ups and downs as an aspiring young musician. She manages to weave into the book her own experiences as an orchestral musician and the joys and challenges of that career. She doesn't shy away from the less glamorous aspects of that life either! I was completely engrossed in the story from beginning to end and I highly recommend this book.

[Gloria Maurer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the years I’ve read many books about the Holocaust but most of those were historical fiction. Janet Horvath’s memoir, The Cello Still Sings, is so intimate and personal that it captured my attention from the very beginning. I felt like she was telling her family’s story to me. I could feel her need to find and tell the truth about her parents’ experience. Many Holocaust stories center in France, Poland, and other European countries, not in Hungary. In that country the people thought that the war wouldn’t affect them until it was too late to escape. How Janet’s parents were eventually able to emigrate to Canada a few years after having been caught up in the Holocaust themselves is remarkable. Many other reviews tell some of the details. This is such an important book that Janet Horvath has beautifully written. I’d recommend it to anyone who wonders why the events in World War Two are still relevant.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd like to recommend this remarkable memoir written by renowned cellist, Janet Horvath. “The Cello Still Sings” is her family history of growing up with parents who were both classical musicians and Holocaust survivors from Hungary. It is about her quest to find their stories, inter-weaving these stories with the impact of the cello and music on all their lives and to explore the effects of antisemitism on her life and throughout the world.
Did you know that in 1948 Leonard Bernstein conducted two symphony concerts in two displaced persons camps? All the musicians were survivors and residents of the camps.
There are a few caveats. Sometimes the book would have benefited from some editing, but the rest was riveting. The other caveat was that I couldn't find it in any of my libraries except one that had it on Hoopla. (At the end of the audio book she plays a version of Kol Nidre that made me weep). It's available as a Kindle book on Amazon at a very reasonable price.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Chello Still Sings is an interesting view of generational trauma experienced by the children of Holocaust survivors. The descriptions and interactions with her parents are very touching and it is eye-opening to hear their accounts of their experiences and to learn how those experiences impacted their lives and their children's lives. However, I think a better editor would have helped focus the story. It became very repetitious and sometimes Horvath lost track of what she was saying. Some of it became tedious to read.

It was interesting to me from the perspective of having recently visited Budapest and previously visited some of the other historic sites mentioned in the book. I could "see" what she was describing. I reside near Minneapolis and have attended Minnesota Orchestra concerts so may have heard her perform.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up

This book is a nonfiction account of the author’s quest to learn more about her family’s history. Horvath is the child of Holocaust survivors who emigrated from Hungary to Canada after World War II. She is also a highly accomplished cellist, following in the musical footsteps of her father. The reader alternately sees the impact of the Holocaust on one family and a zoomed out lens of the bigger picture. Having grown up in a community where many Holocaust survivors and their descendants lived, I found myself particularly interested in Horvath’s story and point of view. Interspersed with photos and concluding with a dictionary of terms as well as discussion questions, this book makes an enlightening read for anyone interested in history, memoir, music, or generational trauma.

[Wendy Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Brava to Janet Horvath for chronicling her journey to learn her parents' stories of surviving the Holocaust. What a beautiful tribute to her parents, and such an honest look at the trials and tribulations of generational trauma. Not only are the stories incredible, the writing is lyrical and paints vivid images of every scene. I don't read a lot of Holocaust books currently, having read so many over many decades, and this one is so beautiful. There are lists of other books to read from this publisher, categorized by various topics, and I might dig into some of those books as well.

I know the family and could hear Janet's voice throughout the book, but I think for those who don't know her you'll also get a sense of her perspective.

Wow.

[Sheryl Ramstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down! It is an exceptionally well-written true story about a gifted musician on a quest to discover her family history. Her persistence and perseverence to understand her parents' lives during the Holocaust, as well as her ability to so effectively retell their stories are truly amazing. This wonderfully sensitive writer shares a powerful history of her personal challenges in relating to her parents' struggles, as well as overcoming her own disability. Her ability to investigate decades-old events and their impact on countless lives make this a must read book on human survival during World War II.

[Lauren Bernofsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book resonated with me on so many levels. I was fascinated to read about the inter-generational stress inflicted by the Holocaust, and I think this book will unlock new levels of understanding in descendants of survivors not just of the Holocaust but from any major stresses.

"The Cello Still Sings" tells history in a way that makes it makes it feel real -- it is thoroughly engrossing, and I completely lost myself in this book. It is beautifully written and was my vacation reading, but that is not to say that it was "breezy," because it is in fact anything but that -- it is a deeply insightful look at the human condition, one that is certainly timeless.

[Eileen Toombs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so very much enjoyed The Cello Still Sings. I started it on the plane going on vacation and finished it on the plane ride home! What a great book, and for so many reasons! I loved the history, Ms. Horvath's writing voice, and the musical references. But I especially enjoyed the stories of Jewish life. It amazes me that Jews from different countries (my fam is from Ukraine and Russia) and settling in different parts of the world (my fam in New York and Montreal), so many of the traditions, language, foods are the same. The book brought up so many memories from my childhood. I couldn't hardly put the book down!

[Noira Emmanuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s my first time reading a musical memoir, and my conclusion is that there are important stories to be told. This one, written by Janet Hovarth, is special. It’s a detailed account of a family who survived the Holocaust, covering the trauma, struggles, and the impact on dreams, family dynamics, history, and identity. It was a timely read for me, and I felt connected through references to recent events that have been happening close to me. The detailed events are told through individual experiences and the wonders of music, from her father’s legacy, her mother’s perspective, and, lastly, her journey. Janet’s memoir is truly healing; her writing is stellar, and it’s a book worth reading.

[Peter Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

'The Cello Still Sings' is in part the vivid story of the Janet Horvath’s parents, tragically traumatized by the Holocaust. But it is no less the inspiring story of their daughter’s dogged research into uncovering the secrets of their past.
The narrative is further interwoven with yet another engaging thread, that of the author’s career as a professional cellist. Disabled by a rare disorder of hearing, she begins a comeback: “A page of music awaits, quietly,” she poignantly writes. I recommend this book as a multifaceted, compelling read.

[Kenes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Janet Horvath's amazing book 'The Cello Still Sings'. Truly compelling and beautifully written! It was lovely reading about Janet's family dynamics and how it shaped her cello playing and career. And what an amazing career it was! I could sometimes really hear the music flowing through the book. I do hope that one day I get a chance to visit some of the intriguing places she mentioned and visited herself. 'The Cello Still Sings', a wonderful and moving story! Totally recommend it, the whole family has read it now, adults and teenagers, we all loved it.