Frédérique Petrides
Frédérique Petrides (pronounced peh TREE dis), (September 26, 1903 – January 12, 1983), was a
Belgian-
American conductor and violinist. In 1933, she founded and conducted the
Orchestrette Classique in
New York. It consisted of women musicians and premiered works by then relatively untried American composers, such as
Paul Creston,
Samuel Barber and
David Diamond, that are now widely played and celebrated.
She also edited and published the ground-breaking newsletter, ''Women in Music'', which highlighted the activities of professional women musicians throughout the ages.
In addition, she founded several concert series in
Manhattan, including the
West Side Orchestral Concerts, the Student Symphony Society of New York, and the
Carl Schurz Park concerts.
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