Who is Eliane Abrial, the first woman hired by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic?

This cellist, who, from her balcony, observes the activities of the Principality, is a prominent figure in Monegasque musical life. In 1972, she was the first woman to be hired by the orchestra of the Opera – later the Philharmonic. Orchestras around the world were male – the Vienna Philharmonic only hired its first woman in… 1997! Previously, women had certainly already played in the Monegasque orchestra, but on one-off contracts, not as permanent members.

How had Eliane gotten there? Having found a student job as a villa caretaker in Roquebrune, she decided to attend the Monaco Academy of Music. There, she met the orchestra's "historic" oboist, Jean Abrial, who had been hired in… 1928. This encounter fulfilled her life: he became her husband. It was he who encouraged her to enter the orchestra's entrance exam. She entered with quiet audacity, sure of her talent. She succeeded.

A pioneer in a world of men in black tailcoats, she recalls: "At the time, the orchestra played at the opera and recorded records at the Alcazar in Beausoleil. This old cinema was so dilapidated that one day Callas refused to record with us there and left, slamming the door."

Eliane Abrial remembers the great tours in America where the orchestra was welcomed like stars at the Mayflower Hotel in New York. Today, there are many female musicians in the orchestra, even reaching the position of concertmaster. But it took a woman to pave the way for them, and that was her.

A lecture on the history of the orchestra

A lecture on the history of the Philharmonic, organized by the Friends of the Orchestra association, will take place on Thursday, May 15 at 12:15 p.m. in the auditorium, with cellist Eliane Abrial, conductor Philippe Bender, who was a flautist with the Orchestra of Monaco from 1963 to 1976, and American cellist Lane Anderson, who was a soloist with the orchestra from 1973.

Reservations by phone at 93.10.85.34. or 06.22.96.31.66.