Sixth Grade
Worksheets
Boris Goldovsky
Many immigrants came to America and contributed to the arts. Boris Goldovsky came from Russia with a unique gift for his new country. He loved opera. He wanted Americans to love opera, too. Because of him, many operas were performed in English. People could finally understand the opera stories more easily!
Boris Goldovsky was born in Moscow on June 7, 1908. He may have received his musical inspiration partly from his mother who was a concert violinist. Some of his other relatives were musicians, too. His family lost their wealth due to the Russian Revolution in 1917. Boris had to quit his lessons at the Moscow Conservatory. At the young age of nine, Boris became his mother's accompanist. He had to work so his family would have enough food. He and his mother were able to leave Russia, and he performed his first solo concert at the age of 13 in Berlin. This was a big accomplishment for the young man. Later, he attended famous music schools in Berlin, Paris, and Budapest where he trained as a concert pianist. He moved to the United States in 1930 to teach music.
Boris didn't like opera when he was growing up. Later, he grew to love it. In 1933, he was playing the piano during a student rehearsal at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. ''That hour changed my life,'' Mr. Goldovsky said in a 1964 interview. ''All of a sudden everything became meaningful, and I realized that opera had to be done in a special way to make sense.''
