Sylvia Meyer (November 23, 1907 – March 26, 2005) was an American harpist who became the first female member of the National Symphony Orchestra. She was a founding member of the World Harp Congress.
Meyer trained at the harp with Carlos Salzedo in Camden, Maine, who taught her a style of aggressive playing.[1] She played with the Baltimore Symphony for three seasons.[5] Salzedo recommended her to Hans Kindler, the then conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), which she joined in 1933.[1] Meyer also performed concerts for the National Concert Association. She received praise for her performance of Giovanni Battista Pescetti's Sonata in C Minor, a technically challenging piece, as well as compositions by Salzedo designed to exploit the full potential of the harp.[6] In 1939, she joined the Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia as a part-time instructor in harp.[7]
In 1966, Meyer needed plastic surgery to restore a fingertip after a gardening accident. She recovered, but was forced to leave the NSO following her long medical absence.[1] Meyer was acclaimed for her rendition of Alberto Ginastera's Harp Concerto, op. 25 in 1968.[1][8] Meyer received the Orah Ashley Lamke Distinguished Alumna Award in 1970 from Mu Phi Epsilon.[9] In 1998, she was given the Elizabeth Mathias Award by the same fraternity for her achievements in music.[10] Meyer was part of the founding committee of the World Harp Congress[11] in 1981.[12]
