Carolyn Utz

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Carolyn Glover Utz (1913–March 9, 2005) was an American musician, conductor, and teacher. She played bass with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for 30 years and was the first Black member of its predecessor, the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in 1913 in Columbus, Ohio, she was the oldest daughter of Edward Glover and Jessie F. Stephens Glover, who was the first Black woman to graduate from Ohio State University. Carolyn earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Ohio State University. She taught at several colleges after graduation, including North Carolina State College, Kentucky State College, and Edward Waters College. In 1944, she auditioned for the Columbus Philharmonic Orchestra; conductor Izler Solomon was looking to hire Black musicians, and Utz became the first African-American member of the orchestra. She performed with the orchestra, which later became the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, for 30 years. From 1974 to 1991, she conducted the Top Teens Orchestra. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She was inducted into the Chillicothe chapter of the Top Ladies of Distinction in 1984, the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1988, and the Senior Musicians Hall of Fame in 1996. Utz died on March 9, 2005, at age 91.