Page of Nikolai Massenkoff
E-mail:
russianfok@Yandex.Ru

Nikolai Massenkoff was born in family of the Russian emigrants in China. In the age of three years Nikolai Massenkoff was placed in a shelter sacred Tikhon in Shanghai. This shelter was organized By Foreign Orthodox church, under a manual arhiepiskop of Shanghai.
Russian Church, Zarubeznaya ( outside of Russia ) organized the orphnage in China, with St. John of Shanghai, Archbishop at the head of the Russian Community and the Orphnage named after St. Tichon, a Russian Saint. During the war years, all kinds of children were left without parents and were brought to the Bishop and took them all in without discrimination. All were babptized, given Russian Names, spoke only Russian, were brought up like cadets in Cossack uniforms and wooden rifles, given an education in Russian Classics, literature, mathematics, religions, geography, history of Russia etc...
This was not the Church of Moscow.
In US I finished the Public Schools, Elementary, Junior High, High School with accent on music, playing the trumpet, french horn, violin and piano. In High School became the Student Director and Drum Major/ Marching Band. At Graduation, conducted the orchestra in San Francisco Opera House.
Later went to San Francisco City College and received an A.A. Degree in Music and Drama. In San Francisco University of California, received B.A. in Music, Speech and Drama, Majoring in Music/Voice.
Tchaikovsky Competition, was representing USA, together with Jenia Nesterenko who received the Gold Medal. You can see that the Russian Singers like that had already accomplished a lot, while, I was basically, when it came to Russian Vocal experience, self trained. No awards.

After University, I went to study with the Masters in Opera: Tito Gobbi in Florence, Italy at Villa Schifanoia.
Alexander Kipnis of Juliard, in Westport Connecticut.
George London, while at American Institute of Music in Graz, Austria.
I thought Music in San Francisco Public Schools. Went to Germany, auditioned, no opera positions opened up. I had a family and needed to get back.
Coming back from Germany, I did a few Operatic Roles, locally.
It was important for me to :
1. Sing
2. To make a statement.
3. To identify myself in the American Society.
4. To express my culture, my feelings, my Russian soul.
All of this was not happening while auditioning for operatic jobs and roles.
No was interested in Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff Recitals. Even major singers had trouble in America with getting audiences for Solo Recitals, which is my first love.
So, to perform, to be an artist, express who I am. A Russian Immigrant out of place with a Russian culture, language, soul that needed to be expressed, I realized I had to do something. It was not enough to be a music teacher.
At this time, America showed interest in it's roots, all minorities were doing something for their prided, Black Power, Chicano Power, Asians, etc.....
I noticed that nothing was happening in the Russian community, therefore, I realized my calling. I was a Russian, educated in music, drama, theatre....I realized that I had to make a statement.

My presentation was interesting to communities, universities, symphony orchestras. I had performances in major American community theatres, for American audiences at Universities, with Symphonies, including: Carnegie Hall, MGM Grand, Las Vegas, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Hawaii, London, Edmonton Symphony, German Television, Sudwestfunk, Virgin Islands, etc....Therefore, I created, The Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival, Starring: Nikolai Massenkoff, Featuring: Russian Folk Ballet and Russian Balalaikas
This was all done by me, with my wife acting like a representative, totally on my shoulders, without any community or individual help, since 1975. One of the honors was with Israel's Record Co. when they included my modest song, Dvye Gitary, together with the best or Russian Artists, such as Ossipov Orchestra, Boris Christoff, Don Cossacks, Red Army Chorus, etc....

I forgot to mention that, when with Symphony Orchestras, I include together with my Russian Folk Songs, Classical Arias. With San Francisco Symphony, in Civic Auditorium, I performed the three different characters from Boris Godunov: Boris Aria, Pimen and Varlaam's Aria. Recently with Cincinnati Symphony I did the Gremin Aria from Evgenii Onegin. I have done Solo Recitals of Tchaikovsky Songs, Schubert, Schuman, Mussorgsky, Ravel. One of the biggest performances was a Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival performance: 1. Stanford University Stadium, Half Time Shoe, I rode in to the Stadium, 75000 audience, on a black stallion singing, from Dr. Jhivago, " Somewhere My Love," with Six Hundred Dancers and Musicians in Russian Costume Dancing! ( 1982) 2. 1988 in Seoul, Korea, Main Olympic Stadium, in a Pre Oplympic Special, United We Stand, with international cast of Stars, including, Nikolai Massenkoff and the Massenkoff Russian Folk Festival, Musicians and Dancers, for 90,000 and World Audience, unofficially representing Russia!

Ссылки
на сайты