June 26, 2025
Athens, GR 14 C
Expand search form
Blog

Baltimore mourns first woman player

Baltimore mourns first woman player

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has announced the death of Joan Champie, the first woman to be admitted to its ranks. Champie, who was 92, played second oboe from 1955 to 1962.

She had a struggle to get there. At the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the influential oboist Marcel Tabuteau told her ‘I don’t want to waste Curtis’s money on a woman,’ before taking her on as a private student. By way of reward, he let her sweep his studio floors.

Eventially, unable to reconcile her orchestra duties with raising two small children, Champie stepped down from the Baltimore Symphony after seven years.

She went on to obtain a university degree in speech pathology and a pilot’s license.

The post Baltimore mourns first woman player appeared first on Slippedisc.

Previous Article

Musicians Union attacks BBC for shrinking Strictly

Next Article

LA violin blogger gets called in by the LA Phil

You might be interested in …

Austrian mezzo wins bubbly Wigmore contest

Austrian mezzo wins bubbly Wigmore contest

Anja Mittermüller was named First Prize winner last night the 2024 Wigmore Hall/Bollinger International Song Competition. She’s 21. Just about old enough to accept a drink from the sponsor. The post Austrian mezzo wins bubbly […]

Baltimore eliminates arts coverage

Baltimore eliminates arts coverage

The Baltimore Sun today scrapped its features department, reassigning its remaining writers to the news department. This leaves the 30th-ranked US city without any reporting on its busy music scene, museums, galleries and performing arts […]

Yunchan tops Apple pops

Yunchan tops Apple pops

Just in: Yunchan Lim’s album of Chopin Etudes has been named the most popular album in 2024 on the app. The Decca Classics recording of the Van Cliburn winner has remained a consistent presence on […]