Charlene Mandelbaum

Charlene is a first-generation Canadian who was born to Holocaust survivors. Growing up with two hard-working parents, she had to learn to be strong and self-efficient. In keeping herself busy, music became a large part of her life. She later went on to receive her A.R.C.T. in piano, and is a graduate of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto. Her talent and success with music did bring on some challenges in regards to her family life.

Charlene has been married to her husband Mark since 1982. As a mother of three boys, she wanted to fuse together her role as a traditional housewife but still be able to utilize her musical gift. In her chapter, Charlene explains the challenges and rewards of being a new age mother and how she was able to create and balance a rich environment for her personal and musical life.