Ivan Kozlovsky

Ivan Semyonovich Kozlovsky (Russian: Ива́н Семё́нович Козло́вский, Ukrainian: Іван Семенович Козловський; also referred to as Kozlovskiy or Kozlovskij; March 24 [O.S. March 11] 1900 – December 21, 1993) was a Soviet lyric tenor and one of the most well known stars of Russian opera, as well a producer and director of his own opera company, and longtime teacher at the Moscow Conservatory.

Ivan Kozlovsky was born in the village of Marianivka near Bila Tserkva, the Kiev Governorate, the Russian Empire (now in Ukraine), and began to sing at the age of seven in the choir of the St. Michael's monastery. He went on to study drama, piano and singing (with the famous soprano Olena Muravyova) at the Nikolay Lysenko School of Music and Drama in Kiev. He also sang with his brother in Alexander Koshetz's choir in Kiev. This instruction was cut short after two years, due to the outbreak of the civil war in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution. Kozlovsky sang in a vocal quartet under the direction of O. Sveshnikov. His voice enabled him to join the army engineers, as a lead singer in a military band.

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