Maestro IGOR CHICHAGOV was an in-studio protégé and colleague of Rosa Ponselle; the legendary operatic conductor, Tullio Serafin; and Romano Romani (THE vocal coach of Rosa Ponselle, Titta Ruffo, Enzio Pinza, Lauritz Melchior and Sinka Milanov). He served as Mme. Ponselle's personal accompanist appearing with her on her 1954 RCA recordings, "Rosa Ponselle Sings Today" and "Rosa Ponselle in Song". He assisted Ponselle for over 30 years in her vocal studio at "Villa Pace". Maintaining a studio in New York City, he has been widely acclaimed by critics and impresarios as "the aristocrat of the vocal coaches and one of America's greatest living piano accompanists". Rosa Ponselle often said of IGOR CHICHAGOV, "There isn't anything written that Igor cannot play with perfect finesse and style. He is one of the greatest accompanists I have ever sung with."

Among our young generation of singers accompanied recently by IGOR CHICHAGOV in concert are Deborah Voigt, Hans Choi, Olga Borodina and Mariana Shaguch.

IGOR CHICHAGOV studied piano at the Conservatory of St. Petersburg in his native Russia, coming to the United States after World War II. He took a degree in conducting at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore and has since conducted performances of the Baltimore Opera Company, The Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, the NBC-TV Opera, The Princeton Opera Association, the Bel Canto Opera Company of New York and the Savannah Symphony Orchestra.

Maestro Chichagov serves as Music Director of The Rosa Ponselle Charitable Foundation, Inc.

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