Shirley Givens
and
Harry Wimmer
The Shirley Givens & Harry Wimmer Memorial Fellowship
The Shirley Givens & Harry Wimmer Memorial Fellowship is awarded annually to a talented young artist for their participation in the International Chamber Orchestra of Puerto Rico.
In Memoriam
Shirley Givens was the beloved violinist, teacher, and long-time faculty member of the Juilliard School, Peabody Institute, and Mannes School of Music. Her husband, cellist and conductor Harry Wimmer, was her lifelong musical collaborator in addition to his own career as a performer and teacher.
Together, the two musicians had a special affection for Puerto Rico, whose wonderful cultural heritage they experienced during their two visits to the Island.
Invited to present master classes in 1991 to the members of the Youth Orchestra of the Americas as part of the Festival Casals, they also performed in a trio recital with the Chancellor of the Puerto Rico Conservatory, the pianist Samuel Pérez.
Returning two years later, they were honored to play a chamber music concert at Sala Casals, Don Pablo’s last home in the hills outside San Juan. Also joining them was Givens’ long-time Puerto Rican student Christian Colberg, who has since become Principal Violist of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.
The family of Shirley Givens and Harry Wimmer is honored to continue this Fellowship, originally established in Shirley Givens’ name, to support classical music education in Puerto Rico.
2023 Shirley Givens and Harry Wimmer Memorial Fellow
Evan De Long, Violin
United States
Originally from Los Angeles, California, Evan De Long has been playing the violin since the age of eight, and holds a Bachelor’s degree in violin performance Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Jorja Fleezanis and Grigory Kalinovsky. He recently finished his masters degree at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music, where he studied with Linda Wang and held a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.
Evan currently holds the principal 2nd violin position with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and also holds a position with the Boulder Philharmonic. He also plays as a regular substitute with both the Colorado Symphony and Opera Colorado. Evan completed a cruise ship contract with Lincoln Center Stage and Holland America Line in 2019, and performs concerts with the Range Ensemble quartet in Candlelight Concerts. Evan maintains a large private studio of both violin and piano students in the Denver Area.
