Doriot Anthony Dwyer
Encyclopedia
Doriot Anthony Dwyer is an American flautist. She was the first woman to be awarded principal chair for a major U.S. orchestra. She was the principal flute for the Boston Symphony Orchestra
from 1952 until 1990. She was second flute for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Music at Boston University
.
on March 6, 1922. Her father, Wiliam C. Anthony, played bass and her mother, Edith M. Anthony, was an accomplished flutist, who played with her sisters on the Chatauqua Redpath circuit. Her father was related to suffragette
Susan B. Anthony
, though he disapproved of his famous cousin's work.
Though Dwyer requested to begin studying the flute
at age six, her mother made her wait until age eight. She studied under her mother for one year, then began studying under Chicago Symphony Orchestra
first chair flute, Ernest Leigl. At age 15, she qualified for the Illinois All-State Orchestra, and during her senior year in high school she won the national solo competition to attend the Interlochen Center for the Arts
. While at Interlochen, she was offered a scholarship to attend the Eastman School of Music
.
While attending Eastman, Dwyer first experienced gender bias in the music industry. Though she was permitted to play first chair in certain symphonic band selections, she was never selected as first chair for the student orchestra. After her freshman year, Dwyer auditioned for a piccolo position with the Pittsburgh Symphony
. Upon impressing the conductor with her playing of a recent Stravinsky piece, he said, "You don't want to play in Pittsburgh. They're all men!" Upon graduation from Eastman in 1943, she won the position of second chair flute with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
, and later with the Ballet Russe.
When the ballet run ended, she moved to Los Angeles
where she first worked in recording studios. In 1946, she was awarded second chair with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She was also selected as principal with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
and a west coast radio orchestra. Of her time in Los Angeles, Dwyer said, "I considered those years in Los Angeles my 'college'.”
and an unsolicited recommendation from Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Bruno Walter
. During the auditions, Boston Symphony director Charles Munch was unimpressed with the applicants and agreed to have a "Ladies Day" audition. After a grueling competition, the other female flutist was dismissed and Munch asked Dwyer to return for a second audition, to which she replied, "No!" She surmised that a second audition would allow them time to seek out a European flutist and was also a test of her will and ability to audition successfully a second time. Two months later, she was named first chair flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Her appearance on the Boston music scene prompted newspaper headlines: "Woman Crashes Boston Symphony: Eyebrows Lifted as Miss Anthony sat at Famous Flutist's Desk," and "Flutist, 30 and Pretty, Here with Boston Symphony."
The Boston Globe called October 18, 1952 "Ladies’ Day" since the performance also featured French pianist Lelia Gousseau. Warren Storey Smith's review noted that Dwyer "handled her part in the Bach’s charming Suite deftly and musically and in the final Badinerie with a degree of virtuosity that elicited from her fellow-players something midway between a gasp of astonishment and a shout of approval, while the audience expressed its appreciation in no uncertain terms."
While much of the press focused on her breaking the gender barrier, many musicians were more impressed with a second chair ascending to principal. Dwyer herself felt similarly, stating in a 1952 Boston Globe article, "Gradually, during my life, I've got used to the idea that I'm a woman."
The Symphony soon realized that it had no accommodations for its female musicians. The only other female, a harp player, offered to share her harp's case, which she used as her dressing room. Dwyer declined and was assigned a spare green room
as her dressing room. In an interview with flutist James Galway
, she noted that the interview was taking place in her original dressing room.
During her 38 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she won critical acclaim for performances under such famed conductors as Charles Munch, Erich Leinsdorf
, William Steinberg
, Seiji Ozawa
, and guest conductors Georg Solti
and Pierre Boulez
.
In 1960, composer Ingolf Dahl
dedicated his Serenade for Four Flutes to Dwyer. They had become friends at Tanglewood
in the 1950s.
Upon the announcement of Dwyer's retirement in 1989, the Boston Symphony Orchestra commissioned Ellen Taaffe Zwilich to compose a Concerto for Flute and Orchestra for her, which premiered on April 26, 1990. The caption below a photo of her in the Boston Globe said: "Doriot Anthony Dwyer, a living legend of flute playing."
Dwyer is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Boston University and is on the faculty at the Boston Conservatory. She has received honorary doctorates from Regis College
, Simmons College
, and Harvard University
in 1982. She was the recipient of the Sanford Medal from Yale University
in 1972, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Flute Association
in 1993, and the Hutchison Medal from the University of Rochester
in 1995. The Boston Woodwind Society's Flute Merit award is named in her honor.
In April, 2010, Dwyer was nominated for inclusion in the inaugural class in the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
from 1952 until 1990. She was second flute for the National Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Music at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
Early life
Doriot Anthony Dwyer was born in Streator, IllinoisStreator, Illinois
Streator is a city in LaSalle and partially in Livingston counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city is situated on the Vermilion River approximately southwest of Chicago, Illinois in the prairie and farm land of north-central Illinois. It is the center of the geographic region known as...
on March 6, 1922. Her father, Wiliam C. Anthony, played bass and her mother, Edith M. Anthony, was an accomplished flutist, who played with her sisters on the Chatauqua Redpath circuit. Her father was related to suffragette
Suffragette
"Suffragette" is a term coined by the Daily Mail newspaper as a derogatory label for members of the late 19th and early 20th century movement for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom, in particular members of the Women's Social and Political Union...
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
, though he disapproved of his famous cousin's work.
Though Dwyer requested to begin studying the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
at age six, her mother made her wait until age eight. She studied under her mother for one year, then began studying under Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
first chair flute, Ernest Leigl. At age 15, she qualified for the Illinois All-State Orchestra, and during her senior year in high school she won the national solo competition to attend the Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Center for the Arts
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a privately owned, 1,200 acre arts education institution in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly 15 miles southwest of Traverse City...
. While at Interlochen, she was offered a scholarship to attend the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
.
While attending Eastman, Dwyer first experienced gender bias in the music industry. Though she was permitted to play first chair in certain symphonic band selections, she was never selected as first chair for the student orchestra. After her freshman year, Dwyer auditioned for a piccolo position with the Pittsburgh Symphony
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District.-History:...
. Upon impressing the conductor with her playing of a recent Stravinsky piece, he said, "You don't want to play in Pittsburgh. They're all men!" Upon graduation from Eastman in 1943, she won the position of second chair flute with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Early career
Dwyer remained with the National Symphony Orchestra for two years, then in 1945 left for New York City to try her hand at freelancing. She was asked to perform with the jazz ensemble accompanying Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, and later with the Ballet Russe.
When the ballet run ended, she moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
where she first worked in recording studios. In 1946, she was awarded second chair with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She was also selected as principal with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra is a symphony orchestra which is managed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association and plays the vast majority of its performances at the Hollywood Bowl....
and a west coast radio orchestra. Of her time in Los Angeles, Dwyer said, "I considered those years in Los Angeles my 'college'.”
Boston Symphony Orchestra
In 1952, the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced the retirement of its principal flutist, Georges Laurent. Dwyer submitted her application, specifically applying as "Miss" Doriot Anthony, so there would be no confusion over her gender-neutral first name. Her application included a recommendation from violinist Isaac SternIsaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
and an unsolicited recommendation from Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter
Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor. He is considered one of the best known conductors of the 20th century. Walter was born in Berlin, but is known to have lived in several countries between 1933 and 1939, before finally settling in the United States in 1939...
. During the auditions, Boston Symphony director Charles Munch was unimpressed with the applicants and agreed to have a "Ladies Day" audition. After a grueling competition, the other female flutist was dismissed and Munch asked Dwyer to return for a second audition, to which she replied, "No!" She surmised that a second audition would allow them time to seek out a European flutist and was also a test of her will and ability to audition successfully a second time. Two months later, she was named first chair flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Her appearance on the Boston music scene prompted newspaper headlines: "Woman Crashes Boston Symphony: Eyebrows Lifted as Miss Anthony sat at Famous Flutist's Desk," and "Flutist, 30 and Pretty, Here with Boston Symphony."
The Boston Globe called October 18, 1952 "Ladies’ Day" since the performance also featured French pianist Lelia Gousseau. Warren Storey Smith's review noted that Dwyer "handled her part in the Bach’s charming Suite deftly and musically and in the final Badinerie with a degree of virtuosity that elicited from her fellow-players something midway between a gasp of astonishment and a shout of approval, while the audience expressed its appreciation in no uncertain terms."
While much of the press focused on her breaking the gender barrier, many musicians were more impressed with a second chair ascending to principal. Dwyer herself felt similarly, stating in a 1952 Boston Globe article, "Gradually, during my life, I've got used to the idea that I'm a woman."
The Symphony soon realized that it had no accommodations for its female musicians. The only other female, a harp player, offered to share her harp's case, which she used as her dressing room. Dwyer declined and was assigned a spare green room
Green room
In British English and American English show business lexicon, the green room is that space in a theatre, a studio, or a similar venue, which accommodates performers or speakers not yet required on stage...
as her dressing room. In an interview with flutist James Galway
James Galway
- External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*...
, she noted that the interview was taking place in her original dressing room.
During her 38 years with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she won critical acclaim for performances under such famed conductors as Charles Munch, Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
, William Steinberg
William Steinberg
William Steinberg was a German-American conductor.- Biography :Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, conducting his own choral/ orchestral composition at age 13...
, Seiji Ozawa
Seiji Ozawa
is a Japanese conductor, particularly noted for his interpretations of large-scale late Romantic works. He is most known for his work as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera.-Early years:...
, and guest conductors Georg Solti
Georg Solti
Sir Georg Solti, KBE, was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. He was a major classical recording artist, holding the record for having received the most Grammy Awards, having personally won 31 as a conductor, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to his...
and Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
.
In 1960, composer Ingolf Dahl
Ingolf Dahl
Ingolf Dahl was a German-born American composer, pianist, conductor, and educator.-Biography:Born in Hamburg, Germany to a German father and a Swedish mother, his birth name was Walter Ingolf Marcus. He studied with Philipp Jarnach at the Hochschule für Musik Köln...
dedicated his Serenade for Four Flutes to Dwyer. They had become friends at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
in the 1950s.
Upon the announcement of Dwyer's retirement in 1989, the Boston Symphony Orchestra commissioned Ellen Taaffe Zwilich to compose a Concerto for Flute and Orchestra for her, which premiered on April 26, 1990. The caption below a photo of her in the Boston Globe said: "Doriot Anthony Dwyer, a living legend of flute playing."
Dwyer is an Adjunct Professor of Music at Boston University and is on the faculty at the Boston Conservatory. She has received honorary doctorates from Regis College
Regis College
Regis College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts and sciences college located in Weston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women’s college in 1927, Regis became co-educational in 2007.-History:...
, Simmons College
Simmons College (Massachusetts)
Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private women's undergraduate college and private co-educational graduate school in Boston, Massachusetts.-History:Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston...
, and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1982. She was the recipient of the Sanford Medal from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1972, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Flute Association
National Flute Association
The National Flute Association , is the largest organization for flutists in the world. It is an association in the United States.It was founded by Mark Thomas.-External links:*...
in 1993, and the Hutchison Medal from the University of Rochester
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
in 1995. The Boston Woodwind Society's Flute Merit award is named in her honor.
In April, 2010, Dwyer was nominated for inclusion in the inaugural class in the Rochester Music Hall of Fame.
Awards and recognitions
- 1972 - Sanford Medal Recipient - Yale University School of Music
- 1993 - Lifetime Achievement Award - National Flute Association
- 1995 - Hutchison Medal Recipient - University of Rochester
- 2006 - Flute Merit Award (Named in honor of Doriot Anthony Dwyer) - Boston Woodwind Society