Elsa Hilger (April 13, 1904 – May 17, 2005) was an American cellist. She was the first woman other than a harpist to become a member of a major symphony orchestra.[1][2]
Else Hilger
Born
13 April 1904
Died
May 17, 2005(2005-05-17) (aged 101)
She was born in Trutnov in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She began taking cello lessons with Otakar Ševčík at the age of nine. Her father died in World War I and her mother took her three daughters to Vienna, where Hilger and her two sisters were awarded scholarships to the Vienna Conservatory. There she studied with Paul Grümmer. At the age of twelve, she performed Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Vienna Philharmonic. The following year, she was presented with a Guarneri cello. At the end of World War I, she began touring with her two sisters as The Hilger Trio. The sisters also performed several times with Albert Einstein as a quartet. In 1935, Hilger was invited to join the Philadelphia Orchestra by Leopold Stokowski. She began performing in the fourth chair; later, conductor Eugene Ormandy invited her to become assistant principal cellist. Despite her talent, she never became first cellist during her 35 years with the orchestra.[3][4]
In 1935, she married Willem Ezerman, the son of D. Hendrik Ezerman, director of the Philadelphia conservatory. She taught her son and grandson to play the cello.[4][1]
In 1969, Hilger was forced to retire from the orchestra due to union rules and moved to Lake Dunmore, Vermont. She continued to perform, giving her last recital at the age of 95. Hilger continued to teach at her home in Shelburne, Vermont.[4]
^ abc"In Memoriam". American String Teacher. 55 (3): 90–92. August 2005. doi:10.1177/000313130505500315. S2CID 220436574.
^MacDonald, Sara Jean; Bolt, Eugene A, Jr. (2006). The University of the Arts. p. 102. ISBN978-0738545219.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Elsa Hilger (1904 - 2005)". Austrian Press & Information Service in the United States.
^ abcd"Elsa Hilger: Genius on the Cello". Vermont Woman. April 2004.
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March 14, 2024
elsa, hilger, april, 1904, 2005, american, cellist, first, woman, other, than, harpist, become, member, major, symphony, orchestra, else, hilgerborn13, april, 1904diedmay, 2005, 2005, aged, born, trutnov, austro, hungarian, empire, began, taking, cello, lesson. Elsa Hilger April 13 1904 May 17 2005 was an American cellist She was the first woman other than a harpist to become a member of a major symphony orchestra 1 2 Else HilgerBorn13 April 1904DiedMay 17 2005 2005 05 17 aged 101 She was born in Trutnov in the Austro Hungarian Empire She began taking cello lessons with Otakar Sevcik at the age of nine Her father died in World War I and her mother took her three daughters to Vienna where Hilger and her two sisters were awarded scholarships to the Vienna Conservatory There she studied with Paul Grummer At the age of twelve she performed Tchaikovsky s Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Vienna Philharmonic The following year she was presented with a Guarneri cello At the end of World War I she began touring with her two sisters as The Hilger Trio The sisters also performed several times with Albert Einstein as a quartet In 1935 Hilger was invited to join the Philadelphia Orchestra by Leopold Stokowski She began performing in the fourth chair later conductor Eugene Ormandy invited her to become assistant principal cellist Despite her talent she never became first cellist during her 35 years with the orchestra 3 4 She also taught at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music 4 In 1935 she married Willem Ezerman the son of D Hendrik Ezerman director of the Philadelphia conservatory She taught her son and grandson to play the cello 4 1 In 1969 Hilger was forced to retire from the orchestra due to union rules and moved to Lake Dunmore Vermont She continued to perform giving her last recital at the age of 95 Hilger continued to teach at her home in Shelburne Vermont 4 She died at home in Vermont in 2005 1 References edit a b c In Memoriam American String Teacher 55 3 90 92 August 2005 doi 10 1177 000313130505500315 S2CID 220436574 MacDonald Sara Jean Bolt Eugene A Jr 2006 The University of the Arts p 102 ISBN 978 0738545219 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Elsa Hilger 1904 2005 Austrian Press amp Information Service in the United States a b c d Elsa Hilger Genius on the Cello Vermont Woman April 2004 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Elsa Hilger Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Elsa Hilger amp oldid 1119356470, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
