Catharina Margareta Torenberg, also referred to as ''Katariina Torenberg-Annell'' (1787 - 1866), was a Finnish
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
ist.
She was the daughter of the organist builder Karl Torenberg. She debuted in
Ă…bo
Turku ( ; ; sv, Ă…bo, ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, city and former Capital city, capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura (Archipelago Sea), Aura River, in the region of Southwest Finland, Finland Proper ...
in 1802, and was active as a concert violinist there until she moved to Sweden in 1805. She was the first professional female violinist in
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. A student of
Erik Ferling, she attracted attention for her talent. She discontinued her career after her marriage with the vicar Johan Annell of
Strängnäs
Strängnäs is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 15,363 inhabitants in 2020. It is located by Lake Mälaren and is the episcopal see of the Diocese of Strängnäs, one of t ...
in Sweden, because contemporary norm did not regard it suitable for a married woman of her class to perform in public, and then performed only before her friends in private. She returned to Ă…bo in 1865.
References
kansallisbiografia (National Biography of Finland)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torenberg, Catharina
1787 births
1866 deaths
Finnish classical violinists
Finnish women violinists
19th-century Finnish people
Swedish-speaking Finns
19th-century Finnish musicians
Musicians from the Russian Empire