Monika: Marika’s Mother & Feuermann’s Only Daughter

Marika Hughes, granddaughter of cellist Emanuel Feuermann discusses her mother, Monika Feuermann, the only daughter of the famous cellist Emanuel Feuermann, who died when Monika was just four years old. For four years, Monika believed her father was simply on tour, as her mother, Eva, struggled unsuccessfully to find a way to explain his death to her. Monika learned the truth at eight, which led to feelings of abandonment and anger towards her mother for not being truthful sooner.

Raised by her grandmother and other strong women, Monika grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y. and attended Smith College. She was a gifted pianist but faced significant stage fright and anxiety over performing. Aftera time in Vienna studying music, Monika shifted her focus to education, pursuing a master’s degree at Harvard. She became an advocate for alternative educational methods, particularly for underprivileged students. Monika met Marika’s father, a Black American man, at a party in New York City in the late 1960s, where they instantly connected. Their backgrounds were markedly different—Monika coming from a wealthy, artistic Jewish family, and her father from a hardworking but modest upbringing. Despite these differences, they fell deeply in love, establishing a family grounded in their shared values of education and social justice. Marika reflects on her mother’s complex upbringing and the lasting impact it had on her own life.