Leo Sirota

Leo Sirota ( born in Kamianets-Podilsky, Russian Empire, now Ukraine, May 4, 1885 - died in New York, February 1965 ) began studying piano at the age of five, attended the conservatories in Kiev and, later, Saint Petersburg. In 1904 he went to Vienna to study with Ferrucio Busoni. Debut 1910 with a concert together with Busoni ( Mozart, Sonata for two pianos and as soloist the Liszt, Don Juan Fantasy ). 1920 worked as rehearsal pianist with the conductor Jascha Horenstein and 1921 with Serge Koussevitzky in Berlin. After toured in Europe: Paris, London, Budapest, Lisbon, Madrid. Sirota settled in Japan in 1929, teaching and giving recitals. He became the most influential proponent of Western Music in Japan staying there for 16 years. Sirota recorded a few single 78rpm Records, which are rare and seldom found. After the Second World War he moved to America and taugth in St.Louis.