Hurok, Sol(omon Israelovkh)
Hurok, Sol(omon Israelovkh)
Hurok, Sol(omon Israelovkh), famous Russian-born American impresario; b. Pogar, April 9, 1888; d. N.Y., March 5, 1974. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1906 and became a naturalized American citizen in 1914. After organizing concerts for labor groups, he attracted notice with his star performers at N.Y.’s Hippodrome in 1913. He subsequently became one of the most colorful and successful impresarios of his era, managing such celebrated artists as Chaliapin, Rubinstein, Segovia, Elman, Stern, Piatigorsky, and Marian Anderson. After World War II, he played a significant role in bringing Soviet artists and organizations to the U.S. His extraordinary career inspired the film Tonight We Sing.In 1973 he received the Diamond Jubilee Medal at the Metropolitan Opera in N.Y. for his services to music. He likewise was honored in death by a public funeral at Carnegie Hall in N.Y.
Bibliography
H. Robinson, The Last Impresario: The Life, Times, and Legacy of S. H. (N.Y., 1994)
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire