Stephanie Goldner (February 9, 1896 – November 18, 1962) was an Austrian-American harpist and the first female member of the New York Philharmonic. Known professionally as Steffy Goldner, she had a successful career in the concert hall and on radio.
Stephanie Goldner died in 1962 from pancreatic cancer at the California home of her older sister, Julia. After Stephanie Goldner left the New York Philharmonic, the Orchestra would not engage another woman for another 25 years. Stephanie Goldner’s story has never been told before.
Harpist Stephanie "Steffy" Goldner (1896-1962) was the New York Philharmonic’s first woman musician. Portrait of Steffy Goldner [1] As part of Project 19, the Philharmonic’s celebration of the centennial of the 19th amendment which gave American women the right to vote, the Philharmonic Archives is telling her story for the first time.
Stephanie Goldner (February 9, 1896 – November 18, 1962) was an Austrian-American harpist and the first female member of the New York Philharmonic. Known professionally as Steffy Goldner, she had a successful career in the concert hall and on radio.
In celebration of Women’s History Month and the 100th anniversary of women joining the New York Philharmonic, the Center for Women’s History welcomes the traveling harp case of Stephanie “Steffy” Goldner (1896-1962), the New York Philharmonic’s first woman musician. Born in Europe, Goldner studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and ...
Stephanie Goldner (far right) with fellow New York Philharmonic principal musicians
In 1922 a 26-year-old harpist named Stephanie Goldner (1891–1962) became the first woman to join the Philharmonic, and would remain the only woman in the Orchestra during her ten-year tenure. She...