Nikolai Kedroff Sr. (1871-1940)
KEDROFF, Nikolai Sr. (1871-1940) was born in Saint Petersburg into the family of a Russian Orthodox archpriest. From 1894 to 1897 he studied singing at the St. Petersburg Conservatory, becoming an operatic baritone who performed at various theaters, including the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1897 he organized a men's vocal quartet (Saint Petersburg Russian vocal quartet) whose first concert was held in 1898 at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. The repertoire of the quartet included Russian folk songs, ballads, opera music, then gradually liturgical music appeared. The quartet each year successfully toured Europe, including participation in Diaghilev’s seasons. His setting of “The Lord's Prayer” is one of the best known works in the choral repertoire.
