27 Facts About Frieda Belinfante

Frieda Belinfante was a Dutch cellist, philharmonic conductor, a prominent lesbian, and a member of the Dutch resistance during World War II.

Frieda Belinfante was the founding artistic director and conductor of the Orange County Philharmonic.

Frieda Belinfante was born 1904 in Amsterdam the third of four children of Aron Frieda Belinfante and Georgine Antoinette Hesse.

Frieda Belinfante's father was a prominent pianist and director of a music school in Amsterdam.

Frieda Belinfante attended the local public school until the seventh grade.

At the insistence of her father that each child play a musical instrument, Frieda Belinfante began to study cello at the age of 10.

Frieda Belinfante made her professional debut in the Kleine Zaal recital hall of the Concertgebouw at age 17, assisted at the piano by her father.

Frieda Belinfante held this position until 1941, and it made her the first woman in Europe to be artistic director and conductor of an ongoing professional orchestral ensemble.

Concurrently, Frieda Belinfante made weekly appearances as guest conductor on the Dutch National Radio, and appeared as guest conductor with orchestras in the Netherlands and in Northern Europe.

Frieda Belinfante became a good friend of the artist Willem Arondeus, an openly gay man who was a leader of the Raad van Verzet in the Dutch resistance.

Frieda Belinfante actively contributed to the resistance movement, mainly by forging personal documents for Jews and others wanted by the Gestapo.

Frieda Belinfante disguised herself as a man and lived with friends for 3 months before being traced by the Nazis.

Frieda Belinfante's former teacher Hermann Scherchen saved her from being sent back over the border by verifying that she was a Dutch citizen and his former pupil.

Frieda Belinfante was repatriated to the Netherlands as soon as the war ended.

Frieda Belinfante emigrated to the United States in 1947, eventually settling in Laguna Beach, California, and joining the music faculty of UCLA in 1949.

Frieda Belinfante subsequently became the founding artistic director and conductor of the inaugural Orange County Philharmonic Society, which incorporated as a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in 1954 and became the first such ensemble in Orange County.

Frieda Belinfante continued to employ the musicians from The Vine Street Players in the new Philharmonic Society orchestra.

Frieda Belinfante insisted on this arrangement with sponsors, and that all concerts remain free of charge for all future attendees.

Frieda Belinfante left her position as artistic director and conductor, but she continued to direct the Symphonies for Youth program for two subsequent seasons.

Frieda Belinfante's conducting technique was noted for her command of period style, cohesive ensemble, clear and decisive baton technique, transparent ensemble textures, buoyant and propulsive rhythms, and conducting all performances without a score.

Frieda Belinfante's repertoire spanned all periods and media including works from the Baroque to contemporary living composers of the period, especially those working in the Netherlands and France and in particular her close association with Dutch composer Henriette Bosmans.

Frieda Belinfante continued her musical activities on a limited scale after her dismissal from the Orange County Philharmonic.

Frieda Belinfante established a private studio in Laguna Beach that trained numerous musicians.

Frieda Belinfante joined the board of directors of the Laguna Beach Chamber Music Society, acting as booking agent and artistic advisor to that group for more than 20 years.

Frieda Belinfante's life became the subject of the documentary "But I Was a Girl".

Frieda Belinfante's story was featured in an exhibition, funded by the Dutch government, about the persecution of gays and lesbians during the Second World War.

Frieda Belinfante died in 1995 from cancer, aged 90, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.