Happy Birthday, Rose Augustine!
On the occasion of her 111th birthday, we remember Rose Augustine, champion of the guitar and indefatigable leader of Augustine Strings from the time of Albert's death in 1967 until her passing in 2003:
“Some basic facts about Rose Augustine are easily told: how she taught chemistry in New York City public schools; how after Albert’s death Rose reinvented the Augustine String Company and brought it to international prominence; how she became a patron of the arts, sponsoring countless young musicians in countless ways, from scholarships to commissions to debut and repeat recitals and performances around the world.... For thirty years Rose was a great and true friend, a delightful companion, and a constant in my turbulent life.... Her life shines as a beacon of excellence, reminding us to carry on, reminding us that art is inescapably a moral endeavor where nothing less than our very best will do.” - Eliot Fisk
“I often heard Rose exclaim, ‘We built the guitar!’ She had a propensity for making such sweeping statements, and more often than not they were justifiable. Here the ‘we’ referred to her husband Albert, Andrés Segovia, and the members of the first incarnation of the New York Society of the Classic Guitar as well as herself. When the society formed in the 1930s, not one of the New York conservatories offered a degree in guitar performance; few contemporary composers were writing for the guitar; classical guitar recitals were rare. Today, all of the New York conservatories boast guitar departments, new works for guitar abound, and dozens of recitals are presented each season.” - Stephen Griesgraber (President, Augustine Strings)
“In the great American tradition of philanthropy Rose gave unstintingly for the cause of the guitar...
Oh - and I almost forgot: the beautiful Hauser guitar... well, many years ago Rose assigned the instrument to me on the basis of an ongoing loan. I found it hard to repay her for that wonderful gesture, which made me ever more determined to make it sound as eloquent and beautiful as I could.
She also made fine guitar strings - I almost forgot that too!” - Julian Bream