Leonid Kharitonov (singer)

Leonid Kharitonov
Leonid Kharitonov, 1970s
Background information
Birth name	Leonid Mikhailovich Kharitonov
Born	(1933-09-18) 18 September 1933 (age 83) Irkutsk, Soviet Union
Origin	Golumet, Irkutsk, Soviet Union
Genres	Opera, Romantic music, military music, ethnic Russian music, easy listening, middle of the road, folk music, comic songs
Occupation(s)	Alexandrov Ensemble soloist, operatic and concert bass-baritone soloist, Soviet Army (private)
Years active	1950–present
Labels	Kultur, EMI, Melodiya etc.
Associated acts	Alexandrov Ensemble, Red Army Choir, Moscow Philharmonic Society

Leonid Mikhailovich Kharitonov (Russian: Леонид Михайлович Харитонов) is a Russian bass-baritone (баритональный бас) singer, born 18 September 1933 in the village of Golumet, Irkutsk Oblast. He has been honoured with People's Artist of Russia and Honoured Artist of Russia. In the West he is noted for his 1965 video of the Song of the Volga Boatmen.

He was born in Golumet, Irkutsk Oblast, in 1933. When his father went missing in World War II, his mother brought him up. Between 1934 and 1942 he was at Cheremkhovo, and attended school number 25 from 1941 to 1942. Back at Golumet he attended school from 1942 to 1945, and stayed at Golumet until 1947. For a year from the age of 14 (from 1947 to 1948) he studied to be a welder in F.Z.O. and worked at a plant in Kuibysheva in the Irkutsk Oblast as a moulder and caster. From 1948 to 1950 back in Golumet again, he worked in M.T.S. as an electric welder, meanwhile beginning to perform as a singer.

From 17 years old (1950/1951) he was a soloist at Irkutsk Philharmonic and finally was accepted by Moscow Conservatory from 1952 to 1955. This was very difficult because as a Siberian he did not even have a matriculation certificate, but his strong singing voice spoke for him.

From 9 November 1953 to March 1965 he was a member of the choir in the Red Song and Dance Ensemble of the Soviet Army (later the Alexandrov Ensemble). His place in the choir was always third from the right in the top row. From 1953 to 1955 he served in both the army and the choir. From 1956 to 1959, while still with the choir, he studied at Gnessin State Musical College. His first unofficial public performance as soloist was in the State Kremlin Palace on 18 March 1965. On that day two good friends of his, cosmonauts Pavel Belyaev and Alexey Leonov, were blasted into space on the Voskhod 2. During this mission, Leonov became the first human to walk in space. Kharitonov's first official public performance as a soloist was on 22 April 1965. In 1967 he was awarded Honoured Artist of Russia. He continued with the Ensemble until 1972 - so he was with them for nearly 20 years.B.A. Alexandrov was proud of his soloist, and would often shake his hand or hug him publicly onstage after a performance. Kharitonov sometimes sang duets, but only with Ivan Bukreev. Kharitonov had one singing teacher only in his life: Evgeny Avgustovich Kanger, who taught no-one in the Ensemble but the leading soloists, including Evgeny Belyaev.