Ivan Romanoff
Encyclopedia
Ivan Romanoff was a Canadian conductor
, violin
ist, arranger
, and composer
. For three decades he led the "Ivan Romanoff Orchestra and Chorus" on a variety of radio and television programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
, on commercial recordings, and in live concerts throughout North America. As a composer he wrote a number of jingle
s for Canadian television and radio and incidental music for several television movie
s produced by the CBC. He also composed a number of songs that were written in a variety of national styles.
and was a violin pupil of Alexander Chuhaldin
, Chris Dafeff, Broadus Farmer, and Kathleen Parlow
at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He began playing the violin in a number of radio orchestras conducted by Chuhaldin in the early 1930s and was at the same time actively performing in Toronto with Stanley St John's dance band
. Soon thereafter he appeared in the Promenade Symphony Concerts and he became active as a violinist with various orchestras at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. He was also heard as a soloist on the CBC programs Sixteen Men and a Harp, Gypsy Crossroads, and Russian Ensemble. From 1943-1946 he was a conductor, arranger, and performer for the Royal Canadian Navy
musical revue Meet the Navy
.
After World War II
, Romanoff entered the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
where he studied from 1947-1949. His teachers there included Milo Dolenzil (composition), Jindřich Feld
(violin), and Václav Talich
(conducting). At the 1947 Prague Spring Festival he conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
in performances of works by Barbara Pentland
, Harry Somers
, and John Weinzweig
.
program Continental Moods. The following year he worked for a short time as a violist for the Solway String Quartet and served as music director for CBC Radio presentations of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
's May Night
and C. Hulak-Artemowsky's The Cossack beyond the Danube.
In 1953 the CBC gave Romanoff his own radio show, Songs of My People, which featured the "Ivan Romanoff Orchestra and Chorus". The program was presented weekly through 1963, after which Romanoff and his orchestra/chorus were featured on a series of other radio shows: Continental Holiday (1964, 1970-1972), Continental Rhapsody (1965-1970), The Music of Ivan Romanoff (1972-1973), and Music of Our People (1973-1976). Romanodd and his orchestra were also actively performing on CBC Television
, beginning with his program Rhapsody (1958-1959) which was the first multilingual folksong-and-dance program nationally broadcast on television in Canada. The group also performed on a number of TV specials during the 1960s. Romanoff continued to lead his orchestra in performances up until his retirement in 1983, touring throughout Canada and the United States and making more than 10 commercial albums, many of them for RCI Records. He died in Toronto in 1997 at the age of 83.
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
, and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. For three decades he led the "Ivan Romanoff Orchestra and Chorus" on a variety of radio and television programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, on commercial recordings, and in live concerts throughout North America. As a composer he wrote a number of jingle
Jingle
A jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
s for Canadian television and radio and incidental music for several television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
s produced by the CBC. He also composed a number of songs that were written in a variety of national styles.
Early life and education
Born Ivan Pezhuk in Toronto, Romanoff was the son of Ukrainian immigrants. As a child he performed in a mandolin orchestraMandolin orchestra
A mandolin orchestra is an orchestra consisting primarily of instruments from the mandolin family of instruments, such as the mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mando-bass or mandolon...
and was a violin pupil of Alexander Chuhaldin
Alexander Chuhaldin
Alexander Gregorovitch Chuhaldin was a Russian violinist, conductor, composer, and music educator. He spent his early career working in his native country but after 1927 he was active in Canada. His compositional output includes over 30 works for string orchestra; many of which were published by...
, Chris Dafeff, Broadus Farmer, and Kathleen Parlow
Kathleen Parlow
Kathleen Parlow was a child prodigy with her outstanding technique with a violin, which earned her the nickname "The lady of the golden bow"...
at the Toronto Conservatory of Music. He began playing the violin in a number of radio orchestras conducted by Chuhaldin in the early 1930s and was at the same time actively performing in Toronto with Stanley St John's dance band
Dance band
Dance band can be one of several kinds of musical ensemble:* British dance band* Dansband, a Swedish pop genre* A Eurodance band...
. Soon thereafter he appeared in the Promenade Symphony Concerts and he became active as a violinist with various orchestras at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. He was also heard as a soloist on the CBC programs Sixteen Men and a Harp, Gypsy Crossroads, and Russian Ensemble. From 1943-1946 he was a conductor, arranger, and performer for the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
musical revue Meet the Navy
Meet the Navy
Meet the Navy was a musical revue produced by the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Directed by Hollywood producer Louis Silver and Broadway choreographer Larry Ceballos, the production premiered in a private performance for servicemen on 2 September 1943 at Toronto's Victoria Theatre. The...
.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Romanoff entered the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
Academy of Performing Arts in Prague
The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague is a university level school of music, dance, drama, film, TV and multi-media studies.- Faculties :*Film and TV School - FAMU*Music Faculty - HAMU*Theatre Faculty - DAMU-Notable alumni:...
where he studied from 1947-1949. His teachers there included Milo Dolenzil (composition), Jindřich Feld
Jindrich Feld
Jindřich Feld was a Czech composer of classical music.-Biography:Feld was born into a musical family, his father a well-known professor of violin at the Prague Conservatory which followed the tradition of Otakar Ševčík, the master of Jan Kubelík. His mother was a violinist...
(violin), and Václav Talich
Václav Talich
Václav Talich was a Czech conductor, violinist and pedagogue.- Life :Born in Kroměříž, Moravia, he started his musical career in a student orchestra in Klatovy. From 1897 to 1903 he studied at the conservatory in Prague with Otakar Ševčík...
(conducting). At the 1947 Prague Spring Festival he conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
The Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...
in performances of works by Barbara Pentland
Barbara Pentland
Barbara Pentland was one of the pre-eminent members of the generation of Canadian composers who came to artistic maturity in the years following World War Two.-Life and career:...
, Harry Somers
Harry Somers
Harry Stewart Somers, CC was the foremost English-Canadian composer of his period.He was born in middle-class Toronto in 1925 but did not become interested in music until his early teenage years, when he met a doctor and his wife, both pianists, who introduced him to classical music...
, and John Weinzweig
John Weinzweig
John Weinzweig, OC, O.Ont was a Canadian composer of classical music.Born in Toronto, Weinzweig went to Harbord Collegiate Institute, and studied music at the university. In 1937, he left for the United States to study under Bernard Rogers...
.
Career
In 1949 Romanoff returned to his native country and resumed working for the CBC. In 1950 he led a string ensemble for the CBC RadioCBC Radio
CBC Radio generally refers to the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which are outlined below.-English:CBC Radio operates three English language...
program Continental Moods. The following year he worked for a short time as a violist for the Solway String Quartet and served as music director for CBC Radio presentations of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
's May Night
May Night
May Night is an opera in three acts, four scenes, by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov from a libretto by the composer and is based on Nikolai Gogol's story May Night, or the Drowned Maiden, from his collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka....
and C. Hulak-Artemowsky's The Cossack beyond the Danube.
In 1953 the CBC gave Romanoff his own radio show, Songs of My People, which featured the "Ivan Romanoff Orchestra and Chorus". The program was presented weekly through 1963, after which Romanoff and his orchestra/chorus were featured on a series of other radio shows: Continental Holiday (1964, 1970-1972), Continental Rhapsody (1965-1970), The Music of Ivan Romanoff (1972-1973), and Music of Our People (1973-1976). Romanodd and his orchestra were also actively performing on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, beginning with his program Rhapsody (1958-1959) which was the first multilingual folksong-and-dance program nationally broadcast on television in Canada. The group also performed on a number of TV specials during the 1960s. Romanoff continued to lead his orchestra in performances up until his retirement in 1983, touring throughout Canada and the United States and making more than 10 commercial albums, many of them for RCI Records. He died in Toronto in 1997 at the age of 83.