Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1936-04-10
Russian Imperial
Singers to Appear
In Last Concert
(From The Pioneer)

(From The Pioneer)
From the Old Empire of the
Cars came a group of five as
founding voices, The Russian Inn
perial Singers, who will appear on
April IA as the last of the three
Community Concerts given in the
Catawba College Auditorium.
Michael Dido, Demetre Criona,
Stephen Slepoushkin, Andrew Orig
orieff, and Ierinarh Z~ragewsky
compose the group of singers we'll
equipped in background, training,
voice, and experience to form an ex-
citing ensemble. They will be ac-
companied by Iascha Zayde, at the
piano. In the course of the pro-
gram both members of the chorus
and the accompanist will be soloists.
The program will be varied.
MICHAEL DIDO, First Tenor,
born in a little town near Odessa,
inherited his musical talent from
his father, a priest whose voice had
made his church famous. Dido at
tended the seminary and the con-
servatory. When the revolution
came he was a lieutenant in the
White Army. Escaping to Con-
stantinople, he continued his musi-
cal studies there; then he became
leading tenor with the "Chauve
Souris."
DEMETRE CRIONA, Second
Tenor, was born in Odessa of Greek
parents. He began a successful
career with a debut at the Odessa
Municipal Theatre as Prince Sinodal
in Rubenstein's demon" Leaving
Russia for Greece, he became a pop
ular figure in the opera houses of
Athens, Saloniki and Smyrna.
STEPHEN ~SLEPOUSHKIN,
Baritone, was born in the Ural
Mountains. His musical career was
nipped in the bud by the War
where he served as captain On the
Caucasian, German and Austrian
fronts, receiving thirty wounds
and four medals for CONSPICUOUS
bravery. The revolution broke and
with the White Army he retreated
through Russian Turkestan to west
ern China. With fourteen fellow
officers he started on horseback to-
wards the East, riding for five
months, living through privation
and adventure. He survived, how
ever and stayed for some time in
China, singing in concert and
opera with much success. Later he
joined the ensemble of Nemirovich-
Dantchenko's famous Moscow Mus
ical Studio, a branch Of the Moscow
Art Theatre.
ANDREW Bas-
so, first came to the United States
in a curious way. Born in Moscow,
as a child he was soloist in a church
choir and later began his profession
al career in the chorus of the Tim
m Opera. An American, rich,
musical, and a passionate Slavophile
Charles Crane-conceived the
idea of importing a trained Russian
chorus to New York's Russian Ca
thedral. Grigorieff was among
those finally chosen from thousands
of singers who were heard, and SO
he arrived in America where he
helped to build the now famous
choir of St. Nicholas Cathedral.
IERIN ARH ZRAGEWSKY,
Basso-Profundo, has one of the
rarest voices of his kind in the
world. Even in Russia, where bas-
sos and violinists + many, his
range is extraordinary, covering
three octaves down to the G. below
the bass clef. Born in Kiev, he at
tended the university and studied
for the bar. Eventually, however,
he abandoned the law for music
and very soon his voice had made
him famous.
The Russian Imperial Singers,
possess that stirring quality Of rich,