Vienna Philharmonic, once an all-male ensemble, now has 24 female musicians

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. And we want the best members, so it was the right decision.” Based since 1870 at Vienna’s Musikverein, the Vienna Philharmonic elects leadership, engages conductors, chooses programs and schedules tours and recording sessions. The Berlin Philharmonic, widely considered Europe’s other great orchestra, admitted Swiss violinist Madeleine Carruzzo as its first female in 1982 and currently has 26 women, 99 men and five vacancies. The New York Philharmonic’s first female musician was harpist Stephanie “Steffy” Goldner in 1922 and it now has 49 men and 45 women with 12 vacancies. She began at the opera with Verdi’s “La Traviata” in 2016 and played with VPO for the first time a year later in Mahler’s Sixth Symphony with Daniel Harding.