2-548-147 - © Fine Art Images/Heritage Images

Russian conductor Alexander Siloti and composer Sergei Rachmaninov, early 20th century. Siloti (1863-1945) was Rachmaninov's first cousin. He studied piano under Tchaikovsky at the Moscow Conservatory, graduating with the Gold Medal in 1881. He later worked as editor for Tchaikovsky. Prior to the 1917 Revolution he was one of Russia's foremost artists, but in 1918 fled the country, eventually settling in New York. Between 1925 and 1942 Siloti taught at the Juilliard Graduate School. Rachmaninov (1873-1943) was considered one of the finest pianists of his time and is regarded as one of the last great composers of the Romantic traditon in Russian classical music. He also left Russia after the Revolution.