Tutter Ellen Margrethe Givskov (30 April 1930 – 15 February 2023) was a Danish violinist and music professor. After serving as leader of the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra from 1951, in 1954 she joined the

Royal Danish Orchestra The Royal Danish Orchestra (''Det Kongelige Kapel'') is a Danish orchestra based in Copenhagen. The Danish name for the orchestra indicates its original function as an ensemble geared to supplying the music for court events. The Royal Danish Orch ...

. Together with other musicians from the orchestra, in 1957 she created the Copenhagen String Quartet (''Københavns Strygekvartet'') until it ceased playing in 1994. In 1969, she left the orchestra to turn to teaching. In the early 1970s, she joined '' Det Jyske Musikkonservatorium'' where she became Denmark's first female professor of music in 1988.

Early life and education

Born in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

on 30 April 1930, Tutter Ellen Margrethe Givskov was the daughter of the inspector Frederik Givskov (1897–1984) and Ellen Caroline Blumensen (1906–1962). She started to play the violin when she was six, becoming the leader of her school orchestra and then of the junior ensemble of the Danmark Radio's

Symphony 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, ce ...

under

Emil Reesen Emil Reesen (30 May 1887 – 27 March 1964) was a Danish composer, conductor and pianist. Aside from composing for ballets and operas he was also a noted film score composer. He is remembered mainly for his operetta ''Farinelli'' (1942), wh ...

. She entered the

Royal Danish Academy of Music The Royal Danish Academy of Music, or Royal Danish Conservatory of Music ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium), in Copenhagen is the oldest professional institution of musical education in Denmark as well as the largest, with approxima ...

when she was 14, studying the violin under and , graduating in 1947. She also studied the piano, allowing her later to accompany her students. She then spent two winter seasons in London, studying further under

Henry Holst Henry Holst (25 July 1899 – 19 October 1991) was a Danish violinist. In his early career he was leader of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Wilhelm Furtwängler. From the 1930s to the mid-1950s he was based in England, as a soloist and teach ...

Career

In 1951, she became the leader of the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, often playing popular violin concertos. She joined the Royal Symphony Orchestra in 1954, becoming the first woman to serve on the orchestra's board in 1957–58. In 1957, she established the Copenhagen String Quartet, one of the leading quartets of the times. It consisted of musicians from the Royal Orchestra, including Givskov as first violin, Mogens Lüdolph, second violin, Mogens Bruun, viola, and

Asger Lund Christiansen Asger Lund Christiansen (1927–1998) was a Danish cellist and composer. He trained at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, graduating in 1946. Alongside Bløndal Erling Bengtsson, he was his generation's most recognized Danish cellist. In 1957� ...

, cellist. They built up a repertoire of 122 quartets which they were able to play at short notice, often performing abroad. Givskov became so active in the quartet that she left the Royal Orchestra in 1969. In 1971, she began to teach at Jyske Musikkonservatorium, becoming the first woman to be appointed full professor of music in 1988. She retired in 1999.

Death

Givskov died on 15 February 2023, at the age of 92.

Awards

Givskov received a number of scholarships, including the

Tagea Brandt Rejselegat The Tagea Brandts ''Rejselegat'' (Travel Scholarship) is a Danish award to women who have made a significant contribution in science, literature or art. The grant, which is given without application, was created and endowed by Danish industrialist ...

in 1962. In 1981, she was honoured as a

Knight of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Givskov, Tutter 1930 births 2023 deaths Danish violinists Danish women violinists Women classical violinists Danish music educators Danish women music educators Musicians from Copenhagen Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog