Orchestrette Classique

Orchestrette Classique / Orchestrette of New York

Company type	Chamber orchestra
Industry	Classical music
Founded	1932
Founder	Frédérique Petrides
Defunct	1943
Headquarters	New York City , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Frédérique Petrides (conductor)
Products	Concert performances of classical and contemporary chamber orchestra repertoire

Orchestrette Classique, which later adopted the name Orchestrette of New York (1932–1943), was a New York-based American chamber orchestra consisting exclusively of female musicians. Established in 1932 by conductor Frédérique Petrides (1903–1983), who remained at the helm until the group ceased operations in 1943, the Orchestrette specialized in showcasing lesser-known classical repertoire and debuting works by American composers like Samuel Barber, Paul Creston, and David Diamond. The ensemble typically presented five to six concerts each year at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall (currently known as Weill Recital Hall). Additionally, Petrides was the founder of the West Side Orchestral Concerts.

A musical anomaly

In 1933, with Frédérique Petrides conducting the all-female Orchestrette Classique, this represented a groundbreaking initiative. At a time when women conductors were exceedingly rare, Petrides stood out as one of the earliest female leaders of an orchestra.

Founder and conductor, Frédérique Petrides' early years

Frédérique Jeanne Elisabeth Petronella Mayer was born on September 26, 1903, in Antwerp, Belgium, into a family with strong artistic roots. Her mother, Seraphine Sebrechts, was a distinguished composer, pianist, painter, and photographer who instructed Frédérique in music theory and composition. In 1923, Frédérique relocated to New York with aspirations to pursue a career as a conductor.

The Orchestrette

In 1931, she wed journalist Peter Petrides (1896–1978), who became a staunch supporter of her ambitions and took on the role of manager and publicist for the Orchestrette Classique she founded. Recognizing the scarcity of opportunities for women conductors during the 1930s, she created the Orchestrette—an all-female chamber orchestra comprising 30 to 40 musicians—that delivered five to six annual performances at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall (now Weill Recital Hall).

American composers

Throughout its twelve-year existence—renamed Orchestrette of New York in 1942—the ensemble concentrated on presenting lesser-known compositions for small orchestras by both established figures and emerging native or naturalized American composers.

At a period when contemporary music was seldom featured, the Orchestrette introduced premieres and performed pieces by notable composers such as David Diamond (Concerto for Chamber Orchestra), Norman Dello Joio, Aaron Copland (Quiet City), Samuel Barber (New York debut of Adagio for Strings), Paul Creston (Partita for Flute and Violin with String Orchestra and Concerto for Marimba with Orchestra), Julia Smith (commissioned Episodic Suite), Ulric Cole (Two Sketches for String Orchestra), Henry Cowell (world premiere of American Melting Pot, Movement 1 Chorale: Teutonic-American), Gian Carlo Menotti (Pastorale), and Ralph Vaughan Williams (US premiere of Flos Campi).

The Orchestrette and its conductor received considerable critical acclaim; in 1936, Robert Simon of The New Yorker described her concert programs as "some of the best in town."

Orchestrette Premieres

• May 1, 1939 – The New York debut of Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings took place at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall (currently Weill Recital Hall).
• May 3, 1943 – The world premiere of the first movement, Chorale (Teutonic-American), from Henry Cowell's American Melting Pot: Set for Chamber Orchestra was presented at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall.
• April 29, 1940 – Paul Creston's Concertino for marimba and orchestra, featuring soloist Ruth Stuber, was introduced to audiences for the first time at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall.
• October 14, 1940 – The debut performance of David Diamond's Concerto in E-flat major, with Lonnie Epstein as piano soloist, occurred at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall.
• December 10, 1940 – The United States premiere of Nikolai Myakowsky's Sinfonietta for string orchestra was held at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall.

Additional Insight

During the early period when Paul Creston was relatively unknown, Frédérique Petrides and her Orchestrette were instrumental in debuting many of his compositions. Subsequently, distinguished conductors including Arturo Toscanini, Leopold Stokowski, and Eugene Ormandy incorporated his works into their programs. A notable instance involved Toscanini requesting to premiere Creston's Chant of 1942, but Creston insisted that the Orchestrette of New York perform it first. This piece was dedicated to Petrides and eventually became part of the New York Philharmonic’s repertoire.

Critical Acclaim

On April 22, 1941, The World Telegram commended Petrides’ concert programming: "Whenever Miss Petrides encounters a shortage of established repertoire, she refrains from resorting to inferior pieces. Instead, she pursues fresh and unfamiliar works, and throughout eight concert seasons, she has never substituted boredom for assured enjoyment."

Impact of World War II

With the advent of Second World War and the military draft, numerous musicians from the Orchestrette of New York were recruited into prominent symphony orchestras to fill vacancies left by men heading to war. In response, Frédérique Petrides decided to dissolve the Orchestrette after its final concert in 1943. Following this, until her retirement in 1977, she led mixed-gender orchestras and continued to feature both obscure classical compositions and premieres of contemporary pieces.

The 'Women in Music' Newsletter

Between 1935 and 1940, Petrides, supported by her husband, produced and edited the Women in Music newsletter under the Orchestrette’s banner. This distinctive publication highlighted and preserved the achievements of women musicians from antiquity through modern times, reaching a readership surpassing 2,500.

Reflections on the Musicians

In a 1981 reflection nearly fifty years after establishing the Orchestrette, Madame Petrides stated:

I deliberately maintained a small ensemble to uphold excellence—most members were graduates of the Curtis Institute or Juilliard School. At that time, societal expectations limited women’s participation on instruments such as bassoon, oboe, horn, clarinet, and trumpet. My intention was to showcase the capabilities of talented musicians without focusing on gender. Many performers studied under leading instructors affiliated with the New York Philharmonic. Our concerts featured seldom-performed masterpieces and premieres by emerging American composers, usually scheduled on Monday evenings when critics were available and the Philharmonic was not performing. We contributed a novel musical perspective to the city’s cultural scene.

Ensemble Members and Featured Soloists

• Hinda Barnett – violin, concertmaster
• Anne Berger-Littman – violin
• Beulah Bernstein – flute
• Frances Blaisdell – flute
• Anne Brown
• Lilli Busse – violin
• Ruth Cubbage – flute
• Helen Enser – horn
• Lonny Epstein – piano and soloist
• Frances Fletcher – soloist
• Ruth Freeman – flute
• Susan Kessler
• Isabella Leon – viola
• Eugenie Limberg – violin and viola
• Frances Magnes – violin, soloist
• William Masselos – piano, soloist
• Beatrice Merlau – clarinet
• Florence Nicolaides – viola
• Rhea Onhaus – cello
• Julio Oyanguren – guitar soloist
• Betty Paret – harp soloist
• Virginia Payton – soloist
• Lois Platt – flute
• Shirley Portnoi – violin and soloist
• Carolyn Potter – bass
• Frieda Reisberg – violin
• Lillian Rosenfield – violin
• Zena Scherer – violin
• Margaret Rosov Schillinger – violin
• Doris Schirmeister – trumpet
• Frances Shapiro – violin soloist
• Elizabeth Shugart – violin
• Ilene Skolnak – violin
• Julia Smith – piano, composer
• Ellen Stone – horn
• Ruth Stuber – timpani and marimba
• Hetty K. Turnbull – horn
• Lois Wann – oboe, soloist

Sources

• Frédérique Petrides Papers, Music Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center
• Frédérique Petrides, Leader In Women's Music Activities, The New York Times, January 13, 1983 edition
• Jan Bell Groh (b. 1936), Evening the Score: Women in Music and the Legacy of Frédérique Petrides, University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville (1991)
• Jane Weiner LePage (1931–2008), Women composers, conductors, and musicians of the twentieth century, Volume II, Scarecrow Press, Metuchen and London (1983)
• Women in Music: An Anthology of Source Readings from the Middle Ages to the Present, edited by Carol Neuls-Bates (b. 1939), Harper & Row (1982)
• Pendle, Karin Swanson, PhD (b. 1939), Women in Music, Indiana University Press (2001)

External links

• Frédérique Petrides Photographs, New York Public Library
• Frédérique Petrides Collection, New York Public Library
• Julia Smith Correspondence Archive