The Woman's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago was an American orchestra based in Chicago. In addition to its regular radio broadcasts which spanned 1925–1948 (or 1952), the Woman's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago also toured.

History

The orchestra was founded in 1925 by flutist

Adeline Schmidt Adeline may refer to: People *Adeline (given name) *Yves-Marie Adeline (born 1960), French Catholic writer Places *Adeline, Illinois, village in Maryland Township, Ogle County, Illinois, US Arts and entertainment *Adeline Records, recording lab ...

, cellist Lois Bichl, and clarinetist Lillian Poenisch. Like most industries of the era, women were barred from participating in most professional orchestras throughout the mid-20th century. Nonetheless, in 1924, a year before the Woman's Symphony Orchestra of this article was founded, another one with nearly the same name was founded by Elena Moneak, which lasted until 1928. (see Disambiguation section, below) Schmidt, Bichl, and Poenisch felt that Moneak's orchestra lacked professionalism from vocational, performance quality, and business management perspectives and aspired to create one. Initially, their overarching organizational objective was to offer professional performing experiences for women artists, which soon included women composers and conductors. The orchestra premiered notable works of women composers and showcased the artistry of several acclaimed women conductors. Among other things, the orchestra launched a scholarship program aimed at developing more opportunities for female professional orchestral brass and woodwind musicians.

Demise of the orchestra

There is some debate about the end of the orchestra. Some music historians have dated the orchestra's termination to its bankruptcy in 1948. However a photo of the orchestra exists dated 1952. The bankruptcy of the Woman's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago is generally known to have been the result of systemic changes following

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 ...

rather than a simple lack of demand for all-female orchestras. As men in the U.S. were drafted in great numbers, often not returning, this resulted in a great demand in previously all-male professional orchestras to recruit female musicians from all female orchestras.

Timeline

* 1925: Organized under charter by the

Illinois Secretary of State The secretary of state of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 Secretary of State (U.S. state government), secretaries of state in the United States. The Illinois secretary of ...

as the "Woman's Symphony Orchestral Association" * October 1925: First rehearsals began * May 9, 1926: Inaugural concert in the

Goodman Theater Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago, Illinois, Chicago's Chicago Loop, Loop. A major part of the Theater in Chicago, Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organizatio ...

Selected personnel

Founding musicians

* Lillian Poenisch ''(née'' Lillian Juanita Poenisch), clarinetist, also founded the Chicago Women's Concert Band *

''(née'' Adeline Elizabeth Moore), flutist, who, on December 27, 1910, in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, married Christian Carl Martin Schmidt. * Lois Bichl ''(née'' Lois Colburn), cellist, who had studied in New York City with (i) Carl A. Brüchkner, a cellist with the

Chicago Symphony The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Fes ...

for 41 years, and (ii) Bruno Steindel and in Chicago with (iii)

Alfred Wallenstein Alfred Wallenstein (October 7, 1898 – February 8, 1983) was an American cellist and conductor. A successful solo and orchestral cellist in his early life, Wallenstein took up conducting in the 1930s and served as music director of the Los Ang ...

. She was married twice, both to musicians, first, on March 11, 1920, to Frederick Thomas Langan,

xylophonist The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African and ...

and second, on August 21, 1925, to Edgar Anthony Bichl. Lois Bichl, under the name Lois Colburn, was a cellist with the

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

and San Antonio Symphonies, and also was an influential music educator.

Founding non-musicians (patrons)

* Kathryn Funk ''(née'' Kathryn Frances Meeker). Since 1895, she had been married to Clarence Sydney Funk. She was a vocalist. Kathryn had a degree from the

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicag ...

Conductors

: 1924–1927: Richard Czerwonky ''(né'' Richard Rudolph Czerwonky) : 1927–1929:

Ethel Leginska Ethel Liggins (13 April 188626 February 1970) was a British pianist, conductor and composer. A student of Theodor Leschetizky, she became widely known as the ‘Paderewski of woman pianists’ and (from 1923) established herself as one of the fir ...

: : : 1940–1944:

Izler Solomon Izler Solomon (January 11, 1910 – December 6, 1987) was an American orchestra conductor, active mostly in the Midwest. Career Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Izler Solomon's first position as music director was from 1936 to 1941 with the Illino ...

Notably, Solomon conducted the orchestra for 26 weekly broadcasts for Libby Owen : 1942:

Nikolai Malko Nicolai Andreyevich Malko (, ; 4 May 188323 June 1961) was a Russian-born American symphonic conductor. Biography Malko was born in Brailov, Vinnitsky Uyezd, Podolian Governorate, Russian Empire (today part of Ukraine) to a Ukrainian father a ...

: 1944–1945: Jerzy Bojanowski

Guest conductors

* 1930:

Gena Branscombe Gena Branscombe (4 November 1881 – 26 July 1977) was a Canadian pianist, composer, music educator and choir conductor who lived and worked in the United States. Early life and education Gena Branscombe was born 4 November 1881 in Picton, Ont ...

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

Leo Kopp Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...

''(né'' Leo Laszlo Kopp) *

Frederick Stock Frederick Stock (born Friedrich August Stock; November 11, 1872 – October 20, 1942) was a German conductor and composer, most famous for his 37-year tenure as music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Early life and education Bor ...

Guest soloists

* Lillian Waller ''(née'' Lillian Magnuson), pianist, was the first soloist with the orchestra. On August 23, 1924, she married Percy Harold Waller in Indiana. * Leone Kruse, opera singer, notably, beginning 1927, with the

Chicago Civic Opera The Civic Opera Company (1922–1931) was a Chicago company that produced seven seasons of grand opera in the Auditorium Theatre from 1922 to 1928, and three seasons at its own Civic Opera House from 1929 to 1931 before falling victim to financia ...

, then went on to the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

, the

National Theatre Munich The National Theatre () on Max-Joseph-Platz in Munich, Germany, is a historic opera house, home of the Bavarian State Opera, Bavarian State Orchestra and the Bavarian State Ballet. With 2,101 seats, the theatre is the country's largest op ...

, and the German Opera Theater at Prague. Before launching her career, Kruse had been a scholarship student at the

American Conservatory of Music The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservat ...

. She later was on the faculty at the

Cincinnati Conservatory of Music The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, w ...

. *

Mae Doelling Schmidt Mae Doelling Schmidt (''née'' Mary Metzke; 22 May 1888 Chicago – 11 March 1965 Chicago) was an American virtuoso pianist, composer, Woman's club movement, clubwoman, and music educator from Chicago. She was on the faculty of the American Conse ...

, piano * Theodora Troendle, piano

Notable performances

* May 9, 1926: Inaugural concert in the

with violinist Amy Neill as guest soloist. Five men musicians filled chairs not yet filled by women. : Program: :*''

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'' by

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

:*''

Siegfried Idyll The ', WWV 103, by Richard Wagner is a symphonic poem for chamber orchestra. Background Wagner composed the ''Siegfried Idyll'' as a birthday present to his second wife, Cosima, after the birth of their son Siegfried in 1869. It was first ...

'' by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

:* Violin Concerto No. 1 by

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic Music, Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin ...

:*''Scènes Alsaciennes'' by

Jules Massenet Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...

:*'' Two Elegiac Melodies'' by

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic music, Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwid ...

:*"Danse Bacchanale" by

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

(from '' Samson and Delilah)'' * December 4, 1927: Composer Theodora Troendle joined the orchestra as the piano soloist to premiere her own piano concerto. * 1934: Ford Symphony Gardens at the

Century of Progress International Exhibition A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...

Florence Price Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, and was act ...

(1887–1953), composer;

Margaret Bonds Margaret Allison Bonds (March 3, 1913 – April 26, 1972) was an American composer, pianist, arranger, and teacher. One of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her po ...

, piano soloist; Ebba Sundstrom, conductor. The program – devoted to women composers – honored

Amy Beach Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (September 5, 1867December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra ...

and

Carrie Jacobs-Bond Carrie Minetta Jacobs-Bond (August 11, 1862 – December 28, 1946) was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter who composed some 175 pieces of popular music from the 1890s through the early 1940s. She is perhaps best remembered for writing ...

. Along with other musical events from the exhibition, the performance was broadcast on WBBM CBS radio.

Piano Concerto in D minor by
Florence Price Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Music, and was act ...
(1887–1953);
Margaret Bonds Margaret Allison Bonds (March 3, 1913 – April 26, 1972) was an American composer, pianist, arranger, and teacher. One of the first Black composers and performers to gain recognition in the United States, she is best remembered today for her po ...
, piano

Disambiguation

* Elena Moneak founded in 1924 an unrelated ensemble which was also named the Women's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago. That orchestra debuted at the Woman's World's Fair in Chicago in 1924 under the direction Moneak, conducting. It performed its final concert at the Woman's World Fair in 1928. * In 1948,

Bohumir Kryl Bohumir Kryl (May 3, 1875 – August 7, 1961) was a Czech-American financial executive and art collector who is most famous as a cornetist, bandleader, and pioneer recording artist, for both his solo work and as a leader of popular and Bohemian ...

led an ensemble named the Kryl's Women's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago, which was unrelated to the Women's Symphony Orchestra of Chicago.

Notes and references

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chicago Woman's Symphony Orchestra Disbanded American orchestras Musical groups established in 1925 Musical groups disestablished in the 1950s Performing arts in Illinois Musical groups from Chicago Women's orchestras 1925 establishments in Illinois 1950s disestablishments in Illinois History of women in Illinois Women in Chicago