Madeleine Carruzzo (born 1956 in Sion, Switzerland) is a Swiss violinist. Since 1 September 1982 she has been a member of the Berlin Philharmonic. She was the first female member of the orchestra. Life Madeleine Carruzzo first received guitar lessons and later came to the violin. She graduated from the Hochschule für Musik Detmold where she studied under Tibor Varga. After studying, she applied to the Zurich Chamber Orchestra as the concertmaster and to the Berlin Philharmonic as an ensemble member. While she was rejected in Switzerland, because at that time a female was not wanted in the position of concertmaster, she received an invitation from the Berlin Philharmonic to an audition on 23 June 1982. There, she succeeded, in competition with 12 other players. Apart from her work with the Berlin Philharmonic, Madeleine Carruzzo is also active in various chamber music ensembles, including the Metropolis Ensemble Berlin, the Venus Ensemble, and the Philharmonic Streichersolisten. External links Madeleine Carruzzo at the official site of the Berliner Philharmonic Madeleine Carruzzo at discogs.com References 1956 births Living people Women classical violinists Hochschule für Musik Detmold alumni 20th-century classical violinists 21st-century classical violinists People from Sion, Switzerland Swiss violinists 20th-century women musicians 21st-century women musicians