Josephine Alexandra Mitchell

Josephine Alexandra Mitchell (22 July 1903 – 23 November 1995) was Ireland's first female professional saxophonist.[1]

Josephine Alexandra "Zandra" Mitchell
Born
Josephine Alexandra Mitchell

22 July 1903
Dublin
Died23 November 1995
Donegal
NationalityIrish
Known forsaxophonist

Early life

Mitchell was born in 1903 in Phibsborough, Dublin to Joseph Edwin Mitchell, conductor at the Theatre Royale and civil servant for the Ordnance Survey and Gertrude Elizabeth Woodnut. She was known as Zandra.[2][3]

Musical career

From a musical family she learned the saxophone when young and performed her first gig when she was 11. She became a headline act when her brother, also a musician, took her on tour in London. She was offered a place in an all-girls band touring Switzerland and Germany by an agent in the city. This took her through Germany and a witness to Hitler's rise to power. She played with legends like Coleman Hawkins and Jean ‘Django’ Reinhardt.

Later personal life

While she was in Berlin she had a daughter she named Constance Alexandra. She gave the child up for adoption to a Russian couple. She eventually married a Belgian man to enable her to get out of Germany.[4][5][6][7]

On her return to Ireland Mitchell lived in a house owned by the family in Rossnowlagh in Donegal, which she knew from childhood holidays. She spent the rest of her life living there, supposedly sleeping in the bathroom, almost a complete recluse. She never attempted to find her daughter but left her money in her will.[4][7]

She died on 23 November 1995. She is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin.[4][7]

In other media

Zandra, Queen of Jazz, a play based on the life of "Zandra" Mitchell, written and starring Roseanne Lynch, was produced by Darn Skippy Productions and premiered in November 2019 in Dublin, Ireland. Directed by Katherine Soloviev and with original music and sound design by Richard Lennon.

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See also

References
  1. "Josephine Alexandra Mitchell · TheJournal.ie". TheJournal.ie.
  2. "Irish Genealogy" (PDF). civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
  3. "National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
  4. Ryan, Órla. "The fascinating story of an Irish jazz sensation who witnessed the Nazis come to power". TheJournal.ie.
  5. "THE LYRIC FEATURE | RTÉ Presspack". presspack.rte.ie.
  6. "From Phibsborough To Berlin · The Daily Edge". The Daily Edge.
  7. "Coolmore horse haven by the ocean in breezy Donegal for €2m". The Irish Times.
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