Orchestras: Ladies' Day

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Respect, Not Money. All of this only makes the girls work harder. Philadelphia Cellist Elsa Hilger, 62, who in 1935 became one of the first women ever to play with a major U.S. orchestra, feels that she is "one of the gang." She insists upon carrying her own bags, does not mind the bothersome business of changing behind trunks and fussing with her wardrobe while on tour (harpists find that pleated skirts stay neatly pressed if wound through the strings of their instruments). Says Boston's Leinsdorf: "Uniformly, the women's pride is so great that their attendance record is better than the men's. They have my utmost respect." But women rarely get the utmost money, and most orchestra managers freely admit that given equal talent, they will hire the breadwinning man over the woman every time.

Yet in the face of everything, the women can tune up that one eternally winning instrument: charm. When things get tight, as Orin O'Brien explains, "you just smile and give in." No man can cope with that, and what really counts in the end is that the girls can play exceedingly well. "Let the best man in," declares Leinsdorf, echoing the sentiments of most of the profession. "And if the best man is a woman, let her in too."