Victor Dubrovsky

Viktor Dubrovsky - Soviet and Russian conductor, founder and first director of the Smolensk Russian Folk Orchestra. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1969). Honored Artist of the Byelorussian SSR (1959). Member of the CPSU since 1970.

Viktor Dubrovsky was born on December 10, 1927 in Voronezh. In 1944 he graduated with honors from the Central Ten-Year Music School in Moscow. In 1949 he graduated with honors from the Orchestra Faculty of the Moscow State Conservatory (class of Professor Lev Tseitlin). In 1953 he graduated again with honors, this time from the Conducting Faculty (class of Leo Ginzburg). While still a fourth-year student, Dubrovsky was accepted as an assistant conductor in the USSR State Symphony Orchestra through a competition. Since 1956 he has been the artistic director and chief conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra of the Byelorussian SSR in Minsk. Under his leadership, the orchestra performed many works by Belarusian composers for the first time.

From 1962 for 15 years, Dubrovsky was the artistic director and chief conductor of the Osipov State Academic Russian Folk Orchestra in Moscow. Under his leadership, the orchestra made major tours, including to the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, France and Australia. For more than 10 years, Dubrovsky also taught conducting at the Belarusian State Conservatory and the Moscow State Institute of Culture.

Dubrovsky made a large number of recordings of symphonic and folk music, which were broadcast on the All-Union Radio and Central Television. He collaborated extensively with outstanding Soviet musicians Svyatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Mstislav Rostropovich, Daniil Shafran, David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan. Melody repeatedly released records of his recordings together with these musicians.

In 1988, Dubrovsky created the first professional Russian folk orchestra in the Smolensk region, became its first artistic director and chief conductor. The orchestra he led became one of the best in the USSR. Since 1991, Dubrovsky has also been the artistic director and chief conductor of the State Academic Orchestra of Belarus.

In just 45 years of his active concert activity, Dubrovsky and his orchestras have toured over 50 countries around the world, giving about 2,500 concerts.

He died on October 17, 1994. He was buried at the Fraternal Cemetery in Smolensk.

People's Artist of the RSFSR, Honored Artist of the Belarusian SSR. In 1968, he was awarded the Golden Disc in Hamburg for his contribution to the development of symphonic and folk music. In 1995, the name of Dubrovsky was given to the orchestra he created. A memorial plaque in his honor was placed on the building of the Smolensk Philharmonic.