Annie Sidonie Goossens OBE (19 October 1899 – 15 December 2004) was one of Britain's most enduring harpists. She made her professional debut in 1921, was a founder member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and went on to play for more than half a century until her retirement in 1981. The Goossens family She was born in Liscard, Wallasey, Cheshire, a member of the famous Goossens musical family that had emigrated to Britain from Belgium in the 19th century. Her father and grandfather were both conductors, both called Eugène. Her brother Sir Eugene Goossens made an international conducting career in the mid-20th century and was also a composer. He spent many years working in Australia as the director of the NSW Conservatorium of Music and chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony. Her brother Léon was an eminent oboist and her sister Marie Goossens was also a distinguished harpist. In 1916, her brother Adolphe, a gifted French horn player was killed in action. Early career As a child, she wanted to become an actress but was encouraged by her father to play the harp. Taught (like her elder sister Marie) by Miriam Timothy, she was already playing in public by the age of 16. When she joined the London Symphony Orchestra in 1921, taking part in their first ever tour, she was the only female performer. In 1923 she became the first harpist to be broadcast on the radio, and followed this up in 1936 by becoming the first to be broadcast on television (with the BBC Television Orchestra, conducted by her then husband Hyam Greenbaum). BBC Symphony Orchestra She was a founder member of the BBC Symphony Orchestra with whom she played for fifty years (1930–1980). The founder of the orchestra, Adrian Boult, engaged her as Principal Harp before the orchestra's first public concert in October 1939. She also played under guest conductors such as Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter and Arnold Schoenberg. She officially retired from the orchestra in 1980, the year it was celebrating its golden jubilee. At age 91 in 1991, she became the oldest person to perform at the Last Night of the Proms concert. Personal and family life She married her first husband, the conductor, violinist and composer Hyam Greenbaum, in 1924. In the late 1920s and early 1930s their London home (5 Wetherby Gardens, SW5) became a regular meeting place for musicians, including Arnold Bax,