Livia Ruth Gollancz

Livia Ruth Gollancz (25 May 1920 − 29 March 2018) was a British publisher and musician who was the first female principal horn of a major UK symphony orchestra.

Early life and education Livia Ruth Gollancz was born in London on 25 May 1920. Gollancz was the eldest child of the artist and architect Ruth Gollancz (née Löwy) and the publisher Victor Gollancz. Livia was the eldest of five sisters. She and her siblings, Diana, Julia, the artist Vita Gollancz and Francesca were the dedicatees of the 1932 "An Outline For Boys And Girls And Their Parents." She was of Jewish descent. In order to ensure that Gollancz did not leave school without having completed her school certificate her mother offered her extra maths tuition necessary to pass her exams in return for a French horn.

In 1936, Gollancz was initially accepted to study at the Royal College of Music as a first study viola player and with Frank Probyn as a second study French horn player though after 18 months she switched to first study French horn.

In 1941, the first year of the Proms being held at the Royal Albert Hall, Gollancz was engaged as 4th horn with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Henry Wood for a concert of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, performing the famous solo written for that chair.

In June 1943, Gollancz was appointed principal horn of Sir John Barbirolli's Hallé Orchestra making her the first female principal horn of a UK orchestra. Her section comprise herself, Jimmy Dennis, Enid Roper and Raymond Meert. and, reflecting another of her personal interests, the company significantly extended its range of mountaineering titles.

Gollancz was chairman of the company 1983 until 1989, when Victor Gollancz Ltd was sold to Houghton Mifflin (which then sold Gollancz to Cassell three years later). Livia shared part of the proceeds from the sale to Houghton Mifflin with everyone who worked at Gollancz.