Elyse Rebecca Aehle (November 6, 1894 – January 5, 1981), also seen as Elise Aehle or Elsie Aehle, was an American violinist and orchestra conductor. She was described as "one of the nation's few woman conductors" in 1946.

Early life and education

Aehle was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, the daughter of Charles Speck Aehle and Jennie Lee Carver Aehle. Her father was a jeweler. Both of her parents were musical. Aehle graduated from

Soldan High School Soldan International Studies High School (also known as Soldan High School) is a public magnet high school in the Academy neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, United States, that is part of St. Louis Public Schools. Soldan was known for its wea ...

, and studied violin with

Otakar Ševčík Otakar Ševčík (22 March 185218 January 1934) was a Czechs, Czech violinist and influential teacher. He was known as a Solo (music), soloist and an Musical ensemble, ensemble player, including his occasional performances with Eugène Ysaÿe. ...

for three years, in Chicago and at his home in Pisek, Czechoslovakia.

Career

Early years

Aehle entertained American troops in France, as a

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...

musician during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. She gave a recital in London in May 1926. Back in Missouri, she gave concerts, was often heard on radio, and was a soloist with the

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...

. In 1928, she was a member of the all-female touring group, Symphony Espagnole. She taught violin and piano at studios in Missouri and Illinois as a young woman. Rudolph Ganz encouraged her to become a conductor. In 1938 she took up the baton for the Alton Symphony Orchestra in

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a part of the River Bend (Illinois), Riv ...

In California

Aehle moved to the South Bay of Los Angeles after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. She earned a California teaching certificate, organized the South Bay Civic Symphony in 1945, and was its conductor into the 1970s. She also arranged works for the orchestra, organized an annual arts festival, and was appointed to the Los Angeles County Music Commission. She directed musical programs at St. Cross Episcopal Church in

Hermosa Beach Hermosa Beach (, Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. The city is located in the South Ba ...

and American Martyrs Catholic Church in Manhattan Beach. For five years in the 1950s, she was conductor of the San Pedro Symphony. In the 1950s, as president of the Pacific Bowl Association, Aehle promoted the unrealized idea of an outdoor music venue in

Palos Verdes The Palos Verdes Peninsula () is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos ...

, similar to the

Hollywood Bowl The Hollywood Bowl is an amphitheatre and Urban park, public park in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, California. It was named one of the 10 best live music venues in the United States by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine in 2018 and was listed on ...

. She helped to establish the South Coast Botanical Gardens.

In popular culture

Aehle is mentioned in a

Tennessee Williams Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three ...

story, "The Resemblance Between a Violin Case and a Coffin" (1939), as "Miss Aehle", the music teacher of two of the characters: "She supported herself and a paralyzed father by giving lessons in violin and piano, neither of which she played very well herself but for which she had great gifts as a teacher," the passage explains. "If not great gifts, at least great enthusiasm."

Personal life

Aehle was injured in a car accident in Illinois in 1944. She lived in

Palos Verdes Estates, California Palos Verdes Estates is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and neighboring Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates. The city was master-planned by the noted American ...

with her mother, brother, niece, and her Czech-born sister-in-law, Mana Houskova, who had

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

, which brought the family to California for her health. She died in 1981, at the age of 86, in Los Angeles.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aehle, Elyse 1894 births 1981 deaths Musicians from St. Louis 20th-century American violinists 20th-century American conductors (music) American conductors (music) American women violinists American women conductors (music) People from Palos Verdes Estates, California