Kirill Kondrashin

Kirill Kondrashin was a Soviet and Russian conductor, one of the leading Soviet maestros of his generation, who premiered several of Shostakovich's symphonies and was the first Soviet conductor to tour the United States, accompanying pianist Van Cliburn after the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition. He defected to the West in 1978 and became a guest conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. He is listed in Jewish biographical directories, though standard biographies do not detail his heritage.