Silantev, Iurii

Born Apr. 10, 1919, in Krasnodar. Soviet conductor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1975).

Silant’ev graduated from the Moscow Conservatory in 1940, where he studied violin under A. I. Iampol’skii. In 1940 he became an orchestra member and conductor of the Song and Folk Dance Ensemble of the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs; in 1948 he became concertmaster and assistant conductor of symphony orchestras in Moscow. In 1958 he became artistic director and principal conductor of the All-Union Radio and Central Television Stage and Symphony Orchestra. His performances with the orchestra help popularize the songs of Soviet composers, giving many of the songs their premiere. Silant’ev is a regular participant at authors’ evenings for Soviet composers and poet-songwriters. He has toured with the orchestra in the USSR and abroad.