Sunderland sisters Ida and Louise Cook, who helped 29 Jews flee Nazi Germany, to be honoured with special performance

Alison Cotton’s composition, Engelchen (Little Angels) will be performed at 17Nineteen, Holy Trinity Church, on Saturday, March 11 at 5pm. Engelchen was a term used to address the sisters Ida and Louise Cook in letters written by some of the people they tried to save.

In the 1930s the sisters visited Germany many times and smuggled Jewish people's valuables into England, enabling Jews to satisfy British financial requirements for immigration.

Ida was also a highly successful romantic novelist under the pen-name Mary Burchell. Her royalties helped to fund the escape of the 29.

Alison’s music focuses on the rescues from the Nazis. The performance is also inspired by Alison’s meetings with clients of refugee charity North East Rise. Refugees told Alison about their journeys and the barriers they have faced.

As well as Alison’s performance, there will be a short talk on the lives of the sisters by Professor Angela Smith of the University of Sunderland.

The evening will also feature a reading of London-based poet Hilaire’s The Cook Sisters Contemplate a Final Visit to Nazi Germany, from London Undercurrents, a joint poetry project with Joolz Sparkes. This will be read by local residents.

The Cooks were opera fanatics, travelling the world to attend performances and meet their favourite female opera stars. This led to their rescue work.

Alison said: “I’m proud to be from Sunderland, it’s a strong part of my identity. It’s wonderful to see how much culture continues to thrive in the city and I’m so pleased to have the opportunity to contribute to this in my own small way for one evening.

“I hope to create a moving experience through my event by performing music inspired by the lives of Ida and Louise Cook. A story of such bravery and kindness which is so relevant to the times we live in today.

"Given their connection to Sunderland, I hope it’s something local audiences will find an interest in.”

Tracey Mienie from 17Nineteen said: “Sunderland has such a rich and diverse history and thanks to Alison we can celebrate and remember the amazing work of Ida and Louise Cook.”

Tickets are £5.98 from the Eventbrite website.