Mary Davenport Engberg

Mary Davenport Engberg, also referred to as Mary Davenport-Engberg and Madame Davenport-Engberg (15 February 1880 in Spokane – January 23, 1951 in Seattle) was an American violinist, composer and conductor. She was the first woman in the world to conduct a symphony orchestra.

Born to George A. and Mary Cornwall in a covered wagon en route from California to Washington state she was adopted by Mr. and Mrs. Richard Santell Davenport following the death of her mother. A cousin of the pianist Ethel Newcomb, she studied in Europe for 5 years, chiefly in Copenhagen with Anton Svendsen and Christian Sandby. On August 8 1899 she married Henry Christian Engberg of Bellingham, Washington state.

She made her debut as a violinist in 1903 in Copenhagen and toured extensively in Europe. In 1904 she gave a concert in New York, 1904, and went on to perform largely on the West Coast of the USA.

In 1912, she returned to Bellingham to teach at the State Normal School there. Engberg went on to organize the 85-member Davenport Engberg Orchestra in Bellingham. She became the first women in the world to conduct a symphony orchestra when she led its opening concert in 1914. From 1921 until 1924 she was music director of the Seattle Symphony, reviving the group after it had collapsed because of financial problems. She also taught violin extensively. Her compositions include pieces for violin.

References

• Saerchinger, César (1918). International Who's Who in Music and Musical Gazetteer (first ed. ed.). New York: Current Literature Publishing Company. OCLC 17708931. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help) Entry Engberg, (Mme) M. Davenport