Antonia Brico | American musician and conductor | Britannica

Antonia Brico, Dutch-born American conductor and pianist, the first woman to gain wide recognition and acceptance as a leader of world-class symphony ... AntoniaBrico Sections&Media Article Introduction&QuickFacts FastFacts Facts&RelatedContent Media Images AdditionalInfo Contributors ArticleHistory Home Entertainment&PopCulture Music,Classical AntoniaBrico Americanmusicianandconductor Print Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. SelectCitationStyle MLA APA ChicagoManualofStyle CopyCitation Share Share Sharetosocialmedia Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/biography/Antonia-Brico More GiveFeedback ExternalWebsites Feedback Corrections?Updates?Omissions?Letusknowifyouhavesuggestionstoimprovethisarticle(requireslogin). 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ExternalWebsites TheNewYorkTimes-AntoniaBrico,87,aConductor;FoughtBarrierstoWomenin30's LosAngelesTimes-AntoniaBrico,87;PushedfromPodiumbySexism By TheEditorsofEncyclopaediaBritannica | ViewEditHistory FastFacts Facts&RelatedContent Brico,Antonia Seeallmedia Born: June26,1902 Rotterdam Netherlands ...(Showmore) Died: August3,1989(aged87) Denver Colorado ...(Showmore) Seeallfactsanddata→ AntoniaBrico,(bornJune26,1902,Rotterdam,Netherlands—diedAugust3,1989,Denver,Colorado,U.S.),Dutch-bornAmericanconductorandpianist,thefirstwomantogainwiderecognitionandacceptanceasaleaderofworld-classsymphonyorchestras.BricomovedfromhernativeNetherlandstotheUnitedStateswithherparentsin1908andsettledinCalifornia.ShegraduatedfromhighschoolinOaklandin1919,bywhichtimeshehadbecomeanaccomplishedpianistandhadmadeasmallbeginningtowardherconductingcareer.In1923shegraduatedfromtheUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley,havingbeenanassistanttothedirectoroftheSanFranciscoOperaduringhercollegeyears,andshethenstudiedpianoundervariousteachers,includingSigismundStojowski.In1927sheenteredtheBerlinStateAcademyofMusic,andin1929shebecamethefirstAmericantograduatefromitsmasterclassinconducting.Duringthatperiodandforthreeyearsafterward,shewasalsoapupilofKarlMuck,conductoroftheHamburgPhilharmonic. BritannicaExplores 100WomenTrailblazers Meetextraordinarywomenwhodaredtobringgenderequalityandotherissuestotheforefront.Fromovercomingoppression,tobreakingrules,toreimaginingtheworldorwagingarebellion,thesewomenofhistoryhaveastorytotell. Brico’sdebutasaprofessionalconductorcameinFebruary1930withtheBerlinPhilharmonic.Thatappearance,aswellassubsequentoneswiththeLosAngelesSymphony,theSanFranciscoSymphony,andtheHamburgPhilharmonic,washighlypraisedbycritics.InJanuary1933shemadeherNewYorkdebutasguestconductoroftheMusicians’SymphonyOrchestra.GuestappearancesinDetroit,Michigan,inBuffalo,NewYork,inWashington,D.C.,andelsewherefollowed.In1934sheagreedtobecomeconductorofthenewWomen’sSymphonyOrchestra,whichpresentedtwoconcertsinNewYorkinearly1935andthenperformedfullconcertseasonsannuallyuntil1942.InJanuary1939,whenmenwereadmitted,itbecametheBricoSymphonyOrchestra.AtLewisohnStadiuminJuly1938shewasthefirstwomantoconducttheNewYorkPhilharmonic,andin1939sheconductedtheFederalOrchestrainconcertsattheNewYorkWorld’sFair.In1946shemadeanextensiveEuropeantourinwhichsheappearedasbothapianistandaconductor.DuringthetourshewasinvitedbycomposerJeanSibeliustoconducttheHelsinkiSymphonyOrchestrainaprogramofhismusic.Afterthemid-1940s,perhapsashernoveltydisappeared,shefounditincreasinglydifficulttogainseriousattentioninthetraditionallymalefieldshehadchosen,hermanifestabilitynotwithstanding.In1942shesettledinDenver,Colorado,whereshefoundedaBachSocietyandtheWomen’sStringEnsemble.Shealsofounded(1948)theDenverBusinessmen’sOrchestra—renamedtheBricoSymphonyOrchestrafrom1968tothemid-1980s;nowtheDenverPhilharmonicOrchestra—whichsheconducteduntilherretirementin1985.In1956–58shewasguestconductoroftheBoise(Idaho)CivicSymphony,andshecontinuedtoappearasguestconductorwithorchestrasaroundtheworld,includingtheJapanWomen’sSymphony.In1974adocumentaryfilmaboutherlifetitledAntonia:APortraitofaWoman,madebyJillGodmilowandBrico’sformerstudent,folksingerJudyCollins,ledtoinvitationstoconductatLincolnCenterinNewYorkCity,attheKennedyCenterinWashington,D.C.,andelsewhere. GetaBritannicaPremiumsubscriptionandgainaccesstoexclusivecontent. SubscribeNow ThisarticlewasmostrecentlyrevisedandupdatedbyKathleenKuiper. LearnMoreintheserelatedBritannicaarticles: conductor conductor,inmusic,apersonwhoconductsanorchestra,chorus,operacompany,ballet,orothermusicalgroupintheperformanceandinterpretationofensembleworks.Atthemostfundamentallevel,aconductormuststressthemusicalpulsesothatalltheperformerscanfollowthesamemetricalrhythm.Thekeeping… orchestra orchestra,instrumentalensembleofvaryingsizeandcomposition.AlthoughappliedtovariousensemblesfoundinWesternandnon-Westernmusic,orchestrainanunqualifiedsenseusuallyreferstothetypicalWesternmusicensembleofbowedstringedinstrumentscomplementedbywindandpercussioninstrumentsthat,inthestringsectionatleast,has… Oakland Oakland,city,seat(1873)ofAlamedacounty,west-centralCalifornia,U.S.ItliesontheeasternshoreofSanFranciscoBayoppositeSanFrancisco.Thecitysiteislocatedonaflatcoastalplainthatrisestowardhillstotheeastthatparalleltheshoreline.OaklandhasamildMediterranean-typeclimate… Historyatyourfingertips SignupheretoseewhathappenedOnThisDay,everydayinyourinbox! 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