Nellie A. Hope (June 14, 1864 – October 11, 1918) was an American

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, music teacher, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

conductor. She founded and conducted the first women's orchestra directed by a woman in the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

area, "Miss Hope's Ladies' Orchestra". The first orchestra at

Macalester College Macalester College () is a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Founded in 1874, Macalester is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 2,174 students in the fall of 2018 from 50 U.S. states, four U.S te ...

was established by Hope. In

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, Hope was active in local music circles, her studios at the Chamber of Commerce Building being the center of a busy musical life.

Early life and education

Nellie Agnes Hope was born in

Prescott, Wisconsin Prescott is a city in Pierce County, Wisconsin, Pierce County, Wisconsin at the confluence of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River and Mississippi River. The population was 4,258 at the 2010 census, making it the second-large ...

, June 14, 1864. Her parents were William Henry Hope and Ellen Jane (Blaine) Hope. From her earliest childhood, she lived in Saint Paul,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. She received her early musical education under the Broune Violin School, Prof. Broune being assistant teacher and pupil of

Joseph Joachim Joseph Joachim (28 June 1831 – 15 August 1907) was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of ...

. She took special courses in vocal music with teachers in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. She spent the summer of 1903 in Europe, where she studied voice with Madame Auguer and with

Jacques Bouhy Jacques-Joseph-André Bouhy (18 June 1848 – 29 January 1929) was a Belgian baritone, most famous for being the first to sing the "Toreador Song" in the role of Escamillo in the opera ''Carmen''. Bouhy was born in Pepinster. After studying at th ...

, and the violin with

Eugène Ysaÿe Eugène-Auguste Ysaÿe (; 16 July 185812 May 1931) was a Belgian virtuoso violinist, composer, and conductor. He was regarded as "The King of the Violin", or, as Nathan Milstein put it, the "tsar". Legend of the Ysaÿe violin Eugène Ysaÿe ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. She studied for some time with

Alberto Randegger Alberto Randegger (13 April 1832 – 18 December 1911) was an Italian-born composer, conductor and singing teacher, best known for promoting opera and new works of British music in England during the Victorian era and for his widely used textbook o ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Career

Hope taught

and voice for many years, being a violinist of the Joachim school. She was chair of the violin section of the State Music Teachers' Association, and represented the Minnesota State Music Teachers' Association at the meeting of the national association held in St. Louis. She organized the first women's orchestra directed by a woman in the Twin Cities area, being the director of Miss Hope's Ladies' Orchestra, which had more than a local reputation. The orchestra was organized for the women's headquarters during the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

's (G.A.R.) Thirtieth National Encampment, in Saint Paul, 1896. During the encampment, Hope was presented with a

baton Baton may refer to: Stick-like objects *Baton, a type of club *Baton (law enforcement) *Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts *Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people *Baton (conductin ...

, which she continued to wield thereafter. In 1897, Hope became the first woman appointed to

's newly-organized department of music. where she taught until 1900. She was chair of one of the standing committees of the Minnesota State Federation of Women's Clubs. The Minnesota Ladies'Orchestra, with Hope as director, was under the management of the State Federation of Women's Clubs. Hope was one of the organizers of the Newsboys' Band, was secretary of the Institute Chorus, and held office in most of the music organizations of the Twin Cities and active in many of the charitable institutions. The St. Paul Choral Club owed its success largely to Hope's work in its behalf; she served the club as secretary since its beginning. She was a member of the

Schubert Club The Schubert Club, established in 1882, is a non-profit arts organization in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that promotes the art of music, particularly recital music. Schubert Club Museum of Musical Instruments The Club operates the Sc ...

(Saint Paul), the Associated Music Teachers League (New York City), and the Thursday Club (

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

). For ten years, she was associated with the choir of the First Baptist Church of Saint Paul, most of her time as director. As of 1904, she had charge of the choir of the Woodland Park Baptist Church.

Death

Nellie Agnes Hope died of heart disease, aggravated by an attack of bronchitis, at her home in Saint Paul, October 11, 1918. She was buried at St. Paul's, Oakland Cemetery.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Nellie A. 1864 births 1918 deaths People from Prescott, Wisconsin American violinists American women violinists 20th-century American conductors (music) American women conductors (music) Macalester College faculty Clubwomen American music educators