Konstantin Konstantinovich Ivanov

Born May 8 (21), 1907, in Efremov, present-day Tula Oblast. Soviet conductor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1958).

After 1920, Ivanov was adopted and raised by a regiment of the Red Army. He was a trumpet player in army orchestras. In 1937 he graduated from the department of conductorial arts at the Moscow Conservatory, where he was a pupil of the conductor L.M. Ginzburg. In 1938, he won third prize at the All-Union Competition of Conductors. Since 1941, Ivanov has been the conductor of the Bol’shoi Symphony Orchestra of the All-Union Radio Committee. From 1946 to 1965 he was the principal conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR. His style of conducting, which is distinguished by its broad artistic conception, is highly emotional and spirited. A recipient of the State Prize of the USSR in 1949, Ivanov has also been awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor and various medals.