A Musical Life in Motion

'A musical life in motion' is the fascinating life story of Ans Samama-Polak (1924-2023). She was born into a warm, intellectual and well-to-do family. As a Jewish girl, she experienced the horrors of the war first-hand. After the war, she developed into one of the leading Mensendieck therapists in the Netherlands. She developed a therapy that still benefits countless musicians at home and abroad.

With enthusiasm and frankness, she tells her life story, in which her father, the philosopher Leo Polak, her mother, the art patron Henriette Polak-Schwarz, her husband, the artists' agent Sylvio Samama, her children, friends, many journeys, music and, in particular, the cello, played a prominent role. In the latter days of her life, she looks back with satisfaction on this eventful life in which her sprightly, headstrong disposition was decisive.

These memoirs have been released on the occasion of her 100th birthday, on 21 May 2024.