ABSTRACT
Porto, the ancient "capital of the north," is the second largest city in Portugal after Lisbon. Guilhermina Augusta Xavier de Medim Suggia was born in Porto on June 27, 1885. Her father, Augusto Jorge de Medim Suggia, born in Lisbon on March 11, 1851, was of Spanish and Italian descent. Guilhermina's time with the amicable Klengel was very fruitful, and later in life she would speak of her Leipzig teacher with great respect and affection. Most European conservatories, including Leipzig, began admitting women in the last half of the nineteenth century. Guilhermina was mentored and encouraged at the Orpheon Portuense, and members of the Moreira de Sa and Suggia families were close friends. Abundant opportunities for formative musical experiences in and around Porto fed the young cellist's ascent. In 1920, Suggia was asked to write an article for the British journal Music and Letters on cello playing.
