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.