Helen Fry
Music and Men: Unveiling the Life of Harriet Cohen, Part 2
Summary
Historian Dr Helen Fry (Harriet Cohen’s biographer) looks at the life and loves of concert pianist Harriet Cohen. By the 1930s Harriet had made a name for herself on the international stage, including in America and across Europe. She played in concert with Albert Einstein; became aware of her Russian Jewish roots and embarked on support form Zionist causes. She continued to premiere the music of all the famous composers of her day - all of them personal friends, including smuggling Shostakovich’s music out of the Soviet Union. Her accident in 1948 brought an end to her career, but what had triggered the ‘accident’?
Helen Fry
Helen Fry has authored and edited over 25 books covering the social history of the Second World War, including British Intelligence and the secret war, espionage, and spies, as well as MI9 escape and evasion. She is the foremost authority on the “secret listeners” who worked at special eavesdropping sites operated by British Intelligence during WWII. Helen is the official biographer of MI6 spymaster, Colonel Thomas Joseph Kendrick. She has also extensively written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain during WWII. Helen has appeared in a number of documentaries and has provided advisory services for TV and drama. She also appears regularly in media interviews and podcasts. Helen is an ambassador for the National Centre for Military Intelligence (NCMI) and serves as a trustee of both the Friends of the Intelligence Corps Museum and the Medmenham Collection. She works in London.