André Kostelanetz

André Kostelanetz with his second wife Sara (1963)

André Kostelanetz (born December 22, 1901 in St. Petersburg , † January 13, 1980 in Port-au-Prince ) was a Russian- born American conductor and arranger .

Kostelanetz came from a Russian-Jewish family, studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory from 1920 to 1922 and then moved to the United States, where he accepted citizenship in 1928. In 1930 he became a conductor at CBS Radio . During the Second World War he gave numerous concerts for the American troops. He also worked as a guest conductor with various orchestras and later became principal conductor of the Promenade Concerts of the New York Philharmonic .

Kostelanetz commissioned a number of works from composers such as Aaron Copland , Alan Hovhaness ( And God Created Great Whales ), Ferde Grofé and William Schuman . For his concerts and recordings he arranged numerous works of popular classical music as well as easy listening .

Kostelanetz was married to the singer Lily Pons for the first time . He died of pneumonia in 1980 while on vacation in Haiti .

In 1981 the Echoes: Memoirs of André Kostelanetz , created together with Gloria Hammond, appeared .

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personal data
SURNAME	Kostelanetz, André
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Kostelanetz, Andre
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American conductor and arranger
DATE OF BIRTH	December 22, 1901
PLACE OF BIRTH	St. Petersburg
DATE OF DEATH	January 13, 1980
Place of death	Port-au-Prince