Nikolai Osipov (1901 -- 1945), Russian conductor, virtuoso balalaika player. Studied violin at the St. Petersburg conservatory but dropped violin shortly after graduation and since then played exclusively on balalaika. In 1940 became the music director of the Ensemble of the Russian national music instruments, later named after him.
Nikolai Osipov
Biography
Nikolai Osipov (1901 -- 1945), Russian conductor, virtuoso balalaika player. Studied violin at the St. Petersburg conservatory but dropped violin shortly after graduation and since then played exclusively on balalaika. In 1940 became the music director of the Ensemble of the Russian national music instruments, later named after him.