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Renee Golabek-Kaye, 52; Pianist Performed With Sister, Mona

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Renee Denise Golabek-Kaye, 52, a concert pianist who was coached from an early age by her mother, the late concert pianist Lisa Jura Golabek, died June 12. Her family did not disclose where she died.

Golabek-Kaye earned a master’s degree at the Juilliard School and made her performance debut at the age of 18. Through her career, she performed at a number of fundraising concerts benefiting Jewish causes.

She and her sister, concert pianist Mona Golabek often performed together, appearing at the Hollywood Bowl, the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and other major halls. They also recorded several works, including Maurice Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite” and Francis Poulenc’s “Babar the Elephant,” narrated by Meryl Streep.

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In 1999 the sisters performed at the 60th reunion of the Kindertransport, in London, honoring the European Jewish children who were transported to safety by train from Nazi Germany and German-occupied territories prior to the start of World War II.

Both of Golabek-Kaye’s parents lost their families in the Holocaust. Her father, Michael Golabek, was a member of the French Resistance and was awarded the Croix de Guerre.

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