Sonia was born in Wuppertal, Germany in 1931, as Hitler began his rise to power and the world became increasingly horrific. Being from a Jewish family, Sonia, who at the time was seven years of age, was declared an enemy of the state. With her family, they fled from Germany to Belgium to France, then back to Belgium and into hiding in Brussels. In a desperate act to keep her family alive, Sonia's mother then decided to hide her children in a Catholic orphanage under assumed identities. For over two years, Sonia, along with her brother Heini, and more than 20 other Jewish children, were all hidden in plain sight as Catholic orphans in a Belgian orphanage. Ironically called Le Joli Coin--"The Pretty Spot", the orphanage, run by a dictatorial matron, who to all the world seemed like the model of civic decency, nevertheless exploited the children for her own profit.
In the postwar world, which seemed so new and free, was also loaded with paradox, since the few survivors of Sonia's family were refused citizenship status, and told that they must leave the country. She immigrated to Australia, where she lived among other refugee families, working several jobs at once and continuing her education. In Australia, Sonia worked in radio, television, and in film, making full use of both her linguistic and her musical talents. She organized interpreting and translating services for the 1956 Olympic Games inMelbourne , began to travel the world, translating for the United Nations in the Philippines , Singapore and Thailand
In the postwar world, which seemed so new and free, was also loaded with paradox, since the few survivors of Sonia's family were refused citizenship status, and told that they must leave the country. She immigrated to Australia, where she lived among other refugee families, working several jobs at once and continuing her education. In Australia, Sonia worked in radio, television, and in film, making full use of both her linguistic and her musical talents. She organized interpreting and translating services for the 1956 Olympic Games in
Her television and radio programs made her a sensation, and by the 1960s, she was called upon by the Queen of Malaysia to tutor her in French. While French tutor to the Queen of Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur
Sonia earned her doctorate in French literature and the teaching of foreign languages, and directed a multi-cultural language program at UNESCO. With her husband John, and their children Anthony and Renee, Sonia traveled and lived all over the world. She taught foreign languages at the university level, and performed frequently to the delight of audiences worldwide. In her album Cantos al Amor, Sonia sings in 16 languages.
In 1989, Dr. Korn-Grimani was knighted Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, and in 1996 she was decorated Officier des Palmes Académiques. These decorations were awarded in recognition of her lifelong dedication to and promotion of French culture and language.
Sonia continues to sing regularly at UNESCO events in France