Slovak-Austrian Conductor

Josephine Weinlich, born in 1848 in Dechtice (now part of Slovakia), was the daughter of Franz and Josepha Weinlich. Under her father’s guidance, she learned to play the violin and piano. Her father also ran a folk-singing society, and starting in 1865, Josephine accompanied singers on the piano at Viennese restaurants.

In 1868, Josephine formed a quartet in Vienna, where she played the piano while her sister Elise played the cello. Initially performing privately, the group later expanded to include two additional musicians, debuting publicly in August 1868 at the Dreher’sche Bierhalle in Vienna. Known as Das neue Wiener Damen-Orchester (The New Viennese Ladies’ Orchestra), the ensemble, led by Weinlich from the piano, performed concert overtures, works by the Strauss family, and her own compositions. The orchestra, also called Josefine Weinlich’s Damenkapelle (Josefine Weinlich’s Ladies’ Band), gained popularity, performing in Vienna and expanding to other European cities by 1869.

In 1871, the orchestra toured the United States and performed in Saint Petersburg in 1872. By May 1873, renamed Das Erste Europäische Damenorchester (The First European Ladies’ Orchestra), and under the baton of Amann-Weinlich, they debuted at Vienna’s Musikverein. That summer, they performed at the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair and embarked on tours to Dresden, Leipzig, Berlin, Paris, Italy, and England. In 1876, the orchestra visited Scandinavia, the Netherlands, and Germany before eventually disbanding.

In 1878, Josephine, along with her sister and other former orchestra members, founded the Cäcilien Quartet, a piano quartet where she played piano. The following year, she moved to Lisbon with her husband, Ebo Amann, their children, and her sister. Ebo arranged for Josephine to conduct the city orchestra at the Teatro da Trindade, and she served as conductor for a season at the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. Additionally, she edited the Gazeta Musical, financed by her husband, which published some of her compositions.

Josephine remained in Lisbon, teaching piano, until her death from tuberculosis on January 9, 1887. Her contributions to music as a performer, conductor, and composer left a notable mark in the 19th-century music world.