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Tag: Women in Music

Doriot Anthony Dwyer, Pioneering Flutist, Dies at 98
Flutist Doriot Anthony Dwyer has died. Dwyer served as principal flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1952 to 1990. She was one of the first women to win a principal chair in a major U.S. orchestra.*

Understandably, this was a very big deal. Back in the day, Boston didn’t even have a separate dressing room for women. Early notices were all about her gender and good looks, but soon it was her playing that was receiving raves. She won over players, audiences, and critics alike.

To mark her retirement, the orchestra commissioned for her a flute concerto from Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Zwilich was the first female recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music (in 1983!).

Prior to her tenure in Boston, she was second flute with the National Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic, and served as principal flute at the Hollywood Bowl. Early in her career, she also played with Frank Sinatra and the Ballets Russes.

Dwyer died on Saturday at the age of 98.
- Dwyer was preceded by, at the very least, Florence Wightman (principal harp, Cleveland Orchestra, 1929-30), Alice Chalifoux (principal harp, Cleveland Orchestra, 1931-74), Edna Philips (principal harp, Philadelphia Orchestra, 1930-41 and 1942-46), and Helen Kotas (principal horn, Chicago Symphony, 1941-48).
An interview with Doriot Anthony Dwyer, in three parts:

Dwyer with Leonard Bernstein conducting “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”

Debussy Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9frKtO0nRn8

Prokofiev Flute Sonata:

Ellen Taffe Zwilich Flute Concerto:

Charles Munch bringing Dwyer forth for a solo bow (at the very end of the video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrMnUUWTBd4

PHOTO: Doriot Anthony Dwyer, with harpist Olivia Luetcke and cellist Winifred Winograd (courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra)
March 16, 2020
Celebrating Women in Classical Music Today

It should be a truth universally acknowledged that, historically, women have not been given the same opportunities as men.

Even so, when putting together a checklist for the purpose of today’s programming on The Classical Network, which will be devoted entirely to women in music, I was astonished when the number of women composers that sprang readily to mind overflowed the space I had allotted. Okay, maybe I have a broader knowledge of repertoire than your average man- or person-on-the-street, but there is an awful lot of really fine and/or historically significant repertoire from which to draw.

On the whole, the field has been a lot kinder to female instrumentalists and especially singers. Women being accepted as conductors, however, remains an uphill climb, at least among the major orchestras. But I don’t intend to make this about gender politics. (Lord knows, there are plenty of mediocre male conductors.) Instead, we’ve set aside this day to celebrate the contributions of women to the art and enjoyment of music.

It’s only one of our special themes this week, as we continue to stockpile your contributions against the end of our fiscal year, which will arrive with the chimes of midnight on June 1.

Do you like what we’re doing? Do we add to the quality of your days? Help us help YOU by calling us now at 1-888-232-1212, or by making your contribution online at wwfm.org. As always, we thank you for your support of WWFM – The Classical Network!

A few of the voices we will hear from today: those of (clockwise from left) conductor JoAnn Falletta, guitarist Sharon Isbin, and pianist Barbara Nissman. Then join us at 8 p.m. EDT for a special concert of music by composer Amy Beach (bottom right).

June 26, 2018

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