Strube was born in the Harz Mountains of Ballenstadt in 1867 and came from a musically gifted family.
Upon graduation he entered the Gewandhaus Orchestra, and played under Johann Strauss, the younger, while teaching at the Mannheim Conservatory.
In 1889 Strube and conductor Artur Nikisch immigrated to the United States to play in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he said.
Strube played in the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 23 years, and eventually became concert maestro.
[2] Composition manuscripts, personal photographs, concert programs, and newspaper features are in the holdings of the Gustav Strube Collection at the Peabody Institute Archives in Baltimore, MD.