Alma Maria Rosé

1906 Wien-1944 Auschwitz
Alma Rosé, violinist, bandmaster, born in Vienna November 3, 1906 as the daughter of Arnold Rosé (concert master of the Vienna Philharmonics and founder of the famous Rosé Quartet) and Justine Mahler, sister of Gustav Mahler. Her brother Alfred Rosé (1902 Vienna - 1975 London, Ont.) was a pianist, conductor, composer and later on pioneer of music therapy who managed to flee to the USA, and in 1948 emigrated to Canada. Alma Maria Rosé studied the violin with her father and Otakar Ševčík. After her debut in Bad Ischl as a 15-years-old, she concertized as a soloist, a. o. 1926 at the Vienna Musikverein, and in concert tours, some with her husband, the violin virtuoso Váša Příhoda. Aside she founded and directed the ladies' ensemble 'Wiener Walzer Mädln' in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece. In 1938 she organized her fathers exile to London, but returned to the continent, in particular the Netherlands. She directed a dance band at the Grand Hotel Central in The Hague, gave violin recitals and could be heard on the radio. When the Germans invaded Holland, her return visa for Greta Britain had expired; an affidavit from her brother arrived after the US consulate has been closed. She is been hidden by friends, but after she - in spite of a fictituous marriage to non- Jewish Dutchman Constant van Leeuwen Boomkamp - was confined to 'illegal' house concerts, she decided to flee to France, where she was arrested in December 1942 in Dijon. Via the transit camp Drancy she was deported to the concentration camp Auschwitz. In fall 1943 she was appointed as conductor of the 'Frauenorchester' of the womens' camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Alma Rosé probably died by food contamination in Auschwitz April 4 or 5, 1944. After her death the orchestra had less rehearsal time and was no longer 'beloved'. All Jewish members of the orchestra were deported to the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Only 11 of the total 47 musicians survived. Update Primavera Driessen Gruber September 4, 2015