Serge Jaroff

Serge Alexis Jaroff
Серге́й Алексе́евич Жа́ров
Born	1 April 1896 Makaryev, Kostroma Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	5 October 1985 Lakewood Township, New Jersey, U.S.
Resting place	St Mary's R.O. Cemetery, Jackson, New Jersey
Children	1

Serge Alexis Jaroff (Russian: Серге́й Алексе́евич Жа́ров^[1]) (April 1 [O.S. March 20] 1896 – 5 October 1985) was the founder, conductor and composer of the Don Cossack Choir Serge Jaroff.

Biography

Jaroff was born April 1 [O.S. March 20] 1896 in Makaryev, Kostroma Governorate, Russian Empire. He trained at the Moscow Synod School for Choral Singing. He served as a Don Cossack lieutenant in the Russian Civil War. In 1920, the Don Army were driven into the Crimea by the Red Army. From there they evacuated to a Turkish internment camp near Constantinople, (now Istanbul). In January 1921, Jaroff put together a choir from Russian refugees in the internment camp. Most of the singers who later performed in the Don Cossacks Choir had been members of the Don divisions since the war in 1914. The 3rd^{[clarification needed]} Don division in March 1921 was interned on the Greek island of Lemnos.

Then the troops, including the singers, were shipped to Burgas, Bulgaria. The Russian representative asked Jaroff and his choir to join the church. On 23 June 1923, they performed in the cathedral of Sofia and made their formal concert debut in Vienna on 4 July 1923. They subsequently toured America where they were extremely popular and had other international tours in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The men, dressed as Cossacks, sang a repertory of a cappella Russian sacred and operatic music, army songs and folk songs. Cossack dancing was eventually added to the performance.

Jaroff's last tour was in the 1978–1979 season of the company, but Jaroff continued as the choir leader until 1981.

Personal life

Jaroff married Neonila, and had one son, Aljosha. They lived in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, where Jaroff died in 1985. He became a US citizen after World War II. He is buried at St Mary's R.O. Cemetery in Jackson, New Jersey.

Selected filmography

• The White Devil (1930)
• Moscow-Shanghai (1936)
• A Prussian Love Story (1938)
• Yes, Yes, Love in Tyrol (1955)

References

External links

• NY Times obituary
• Don Cossack Chorus history
• Michael Minsky–Legend of a Don Cossack
• Discopedia of Serge Jaroff Don Cossack Chorus on Russian-Records.com
• DVD Don Cossack Choir Serge Jaroff brilliantclassics nr. 8892
• Sergei Jaroff and the Don Cossack Choir http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/88292.htm

This page was last edited on 22 January 2024, at 20:56