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Renowned Cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch Celebrates 100th Birthday

On 17 July, renowned cellist and Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch celebrated her 100th birthday. To mark this special occasion, revisit our 2015 interview where she spoke to the MU about her life in music.

Published: 21 July 2025 | 6:32 PM Updated: 22 July 2025 | 9:15 AM
Close up of cello scroll, amongst some white spring flowers.
Anita joined the Musicians' Union in 1951. Photo: Shutterstock.

Renowned cellist and Holocaust survivor Anita Lasker-Wallfisch celebrated her 100th birthday on 17 July, with a visit from King Charles and a special concert at London’s Wigmore Hall, featuring musicians - including some of her family members - who performed in her honour.

Lasker-Wallfisch, who has said that playing the cello in the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz saved her life, and who performed around the world with touring orchestras after the war, spoke at the event about her experiences and the importance of learning from the past.

To mark this milestone birthday, we’re resharing our interview in which Anita spoke to the MU about her life in music. Click below and turn to pages 76–79 on the 2015 edition to read the full article. 

This story was originally published in the Summer 2015 edition of The Musician, the Musicians’ Union journal. You can browse previous editions online, or view our new journal, Amplify, launched in 2024, by logging into your MU member account.

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