Otto Sutro

Who was Otto Sutro?

Otto Sutro was a German-born American organist, conductor, minor composer, publisher and music store owner, and a leading figure in the musical life of Baltimore, Maryland.

Sutro was born in Aachen, Germany. He studied the organ with Nicolas Lemmens in Brussels and moved to the United States in 1851, undertaking further studies at the Peabody Institute.

He hosted a musical appreciation society known as the Wednesday Club. With fellow alum Fritz Finke, Sutro helped found the Oratorio Society of Baltimore, and became its main conductor.

He married Arianna Handy, a pianist, singer, and daughter of a former chief justice of Mississippi. His brother Adolph Sutro became Mayor of San Francisco, and built the Sutro Baths.

Sutro sat for portrait artist David Dalhoff Neal in 1889. Rapheal Tuck & Son created a litho art card Charactor Otto Sutro His daughters Rose and Ottilie Sutro were the first recognised piano-duo team.