Jessie Grimson (26 November 1873 – 19 October 1954) was a British violinist and violin teacher. In 1913, she was one of the first women to join the

Queen's Hall Orchestra The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it ...

, founded in 1895.

Life

Jessie Grimson was born 26 November 1873 in

Pimlico, London Pimlico () is an area of Central London in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Victori ...

, the daughter of Maria Mary Anne Grimson (née Bonarius; 1848–1896) and her husband, the violinist and violin teacher Samuel Dean Grimson (1842-1922). All seven of the Grimson children grew up to become musicians and/or composers. Jessie was taught first by her father, and later by other tutors including

August Wilhelmj __NOTOC__ August Emil Daniel Ferdinand Wilhelmj ( ; 21 September 184522 January 1908) was a German violinist and teacher. Wilhelmj was born in Usingen and was considered a child prodigy; when Henriette Sontag heard him in 1852 at seven years ol ...

, Henry Holmes, and Richard Gompertz at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

As the Grimson Family, the Grimson siblings and their father gave public concerts. In 1888, Jessie Grimson took part in the final examination for Open Scholarships at the Royal College of Music, and was later listed among the ''“proximè accesserunt"'' (closest to winning). The next year, she enrolled at the Hyde Park Academy of Music for Ladies. While a student there, she performed twice at

Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities such ...

. In February 1891, Grimson won one of the eleven Open Free Scholarships to the Royal College of Music, whose concerts she took part in up to seven times a year, solo and in ensembles. From 1895, adverts for the Grimson Family appeared in publications. These stated:

They are able to perform almost any combination of string chamber music. No other family has ever played such works as the Mendelssohn Octet in public. Some of their programs are specially suited for Literary and Musical Societies giving educational evenings.

Their debut concert took place in January 1896. Sometimes appearing as an eight-piece, members of the family also performed as a quartet or trio, as well as with other musicians. Jessie Grimson also performed as a soloist, including at the South Place Sunday Concerts, and other venues across London. She was praised as an "intelligent and painstaking artist", who could perform with "suavity and fluency". Between 1887 and 1927, Grimson performed in the concerts at South Place 105 times. Grimson went on to found her own ensemble, and the Jessie Grimson String Quartet made its debut in May 1902 at

Bechstein Hall Wigmore Hall is a concert hall located at 36 Wigmore Street, London. Originally called Bechstein Hall, it specialises in performances of chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It is widely regarded as one of the world's leadi ...

. Alongside her, it included

Frank Bridge Frank Bridge (26 February 187910 January 1941) was an English composer, violist and conductor. Life Bridge was born in Brighton, the ninth child of William Henry Bridge (1845-1928), a violin teacher and variety theatre conductor, formerly a m ...

on violin, Ernest Tomlinson on viola, and Edward Mason on cello. Grimson and Mason went on to marry. In 1913, Jessie Grimson became one of the first women accepted by conductor

Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hund ...

to join the Queen's Hall Orchestra. All six of the women selected had been students of the Royal College of Music. They were: Jessie Grimson, Elsie Dudding, Dora Garland, Jessie Stewart, Sybil Maturin, and Rebecca Clarke. Between 1912 and 1917, Grimson was also involved in the

Society of Women Musicians The Society of Women Musicians was a British group founded in 1911 for mutual cooperation between women composers and performers, in response to the limited professional opportunities for women musicians at the time. The founders included Katharine ...

. In 1928 she was made an honorary member of the Royal College of Music. As a teacher, her students included

Marjorie Hayward Marjorie Olive Hayward (14 August 188510 January 1953) was an English violinist and violin teacher, prominent during the first few decades of the 20th century. Biography Marjorie Hayward was born in Greenwich in 1885. An "infant prodigy", he ...

and

Nona Liddell Nona Patricia Liddell (9 June 1927 – 13 April 2017) was a British violinist. She was a soloist, leader of chamber music ensembles, and a teacher. For many years she was leader of the London Sinfonietta. Early life She was born in Ealing, Lon ...

. Grimson had married Edward Mason in 1905. He was killed in France during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Jessie lived in London until her death, on 19 October 1954.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimson, Jessie 1873 births 1954 births 20th-century women musicians Alumni of the Royal College of Music British violinists People from Pimlico Living people