Otto Sutro

Sutro was born to a Jewish family in Aachen, Germany. He has six brothers and three sisters.^[1] His brother Adolph Sutro became the first Jewish Mayor of San Francisco^[1][2] and built the Sutro Baths.^[3] His brother Theodore Sutro, husband of Florence Sutro, was seminal in the building and financing the Sutro Tunnel first proposed by his brother Adolph.^[4][1] 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, Alexander Hamilton Handy.^[5][6] They had two daughters,^[1] Rose and Ottilie Sutro, who were the first recognised piano-duo team. Sutro sat for portrait artist David Dalhoff Neal in 1889 (see image). Rapheal Tuck & Son created a litho art card Character Otto Sutro.