Invisible Player – The History of Rosemary Sanders

The Invisible Player Trailer

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Rosemary Sanders

Rosemary Sanders was born in 1921 in Chicago and at age five moved with her parents to South Bend, Indiana. Her mother, Helen, worked for Gertrude Oliver Cunningham who recognized Rosemary’s talent and bought her a Stradivarius in the 1930s. With no African American string teachers in South Bend at the time, Rosemary studied privately in Chicago at the Sherwood Music School. She was a member of the Riley High School Orchestra, serving as secretary. She auditioned and was accepted into the South Bend Symphony in 1940, where she played for 15 years, sitting in the last row of the second violin section. She performed during a time when segregation was prevalent in South Bend; the city’s cultural and social institutions, hotels, and restaurants did not admit African Americans. Rosemary’s name was never listed in any Symphony programs, and in formal photographs she was seated behind the orchestra, with only her head visible. In addition to her Symphony membership, she taught private students from Notre Dame and performed at her home church, Greater St. John’s Baptist Church. She was a composer, teacher, and lover of music. She passed in 2017 at the age of 95. We honor her contributions to the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.