Sutro Sisters: Rose and Ottilie

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Rose (b. September 15, 1870 in Baltimore, d. January 11, 1957 in Baltimore) and Ottilie Sutro (b. January 4, 1872 in Baltimore, d. September, 1970 in Baltimore) were the daughters of Otto Sutro, an agent for Steinway & Sons.(1)(3) They were concert pianists, famous for performing duets of classical music in the United States and abroad.

The father of Rose and Ottilie Sutro was Otto Sutro, organist, founder of the Oratorio Society of Baltimore, music store owner, and general agent for Steinway & Sons in Baltimore, Maryland. Their mother, Arianne, was a pianist. At first the sisters studied with her, but then completed their education in Berlin.(2)

The sisters’ debut in London was in July 1894.  This was followed by a debut in Boston in November 1894 with the Seidl Society.  Their invitation recital at Madison Square Garden on November 8, 1894, was a great success.  The program was as follows:(5)

C minor fugue   Mozart
 “La Belle Griselidis”  Reinecke
 Variations opus 1  Rudorff
 F minor Quintet opus 34 Brahms
 Rondo opus 73  Chopin
 “Les Preludes”  Liszt

William praised this concert in his diary: “they scored a splendid success at their invitation concert.”(Diary, 1894-11-09)  Their ensemble playing aroused the admiration of continental critics.  They played duettos, and audiences were thrilled with the novelty and their fine performances.  The sisters sat facing each other and played without notes.(5)  The audiences recalled them for many encores.  The newspaper reviews were extremely complimentary.  William Steinway attended some of their concerts and had great praise for their talent.(Diary 1894-11-04, 11-18)  However, he never promoted them.(Diary, 1894-11-09)  William did his best to avoid their mother.(Diary, 1894-12-07)

The sisters were invited by Mrs. Cleveland to perform several pieces in the Blue Room of the White House.(4)

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Sources:

1. “Ottilie Sutro,” U.S. Social Security Death index: www.ancestry.com
2. “Otto Sutro Passes Away,” Musical Courier, January 22, 1896, pp. 44-45.
3. “Rose Laura Sutro,” The New York Times, January 12, 1957, p. 15.
4. “The Sutro Sisters Honored,” The Musical Courier, January 16, 1895, p. 36.
5. “The Sutro Sisters Play,” The Musical Courier, November 14, 1894, p. 16