Elsa Hilger (April 13, 1904 – May 17, 2005) was an American

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

. She was the first woman other than a harpist to become a member of a major symphony orchestra. She was born in Trutnov in the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. 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 Paul Grümmer (26 February 1879 – 30 October 1965) was a German-born cellist and teacher. Grümmer was born in Gera in Thuringia. He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory with Julius Klengel. He was well known as a member of the Busch ...

. At the age of twelve, she performed Tchaikovsky's ''

Variations on a Rococo Theme The ''Variations on a Rococo Theme'',; in russian: Вариации на тему рококо. Op. 33, for cello and orchestra was the closest Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ever came to writing a full concerto for cello and orchestra. The style was ins ...

'' 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 The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...

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. She also taught at the

Philadelphia Conservatory of Music Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since 1 ...

. 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. 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. She died at home in Vermont in 2005.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilger, Elsa 1904 births 2005 deaths People from Trutnov American classical cellists German Bohemian people Austrian emigrants to the United States American women classical cellists 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century American women 20th-century American people American centenarians Women centenarians 21st-century American women 20th-century cellists