At the age of twelve, she performed Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Vienna Philharmonic.

At the end of World War I, she began touring with her two sisters as The Hilger Trio.

In 1935, Hilger was invited to join the Philadelphia Orchestra by Leopold Stokowski.

She began performing in the fourth chair; later, conductor Eugene Ormandy invited her to become assistant principal cellist.

[4][1] In 1969, Hilger was forced to retire from the orchestra due to union rules and moved to Lake Dunmore, Vermont.