Kutin, Alexander Emelianoff (1899-1986) | University of Illinois Archives

Alexandre Kutin (1899-1986) was the founder of the Balalaika Symphonic Orchestra of New York City and a multi-instrumentalist. Born in Zhitomir (Jiromir), Ukraine, Kutin learned music by singing in church choirs. At the age of 10, he began studying balalaika in secret with a shoemaker in his hometown. In 1919, the Kutin family moved to Berlin. Kutin eventually joined the E.L. Zverkoff touring balalaika orchestra in Germany. After the directorship of the ensemble passed to Nicholas Sylvestro, Kutin emigrated to the United States in 1924 in order to perform in the Vaudeville circuits.

In 1936 he founded the Russian Balalaika Musical Society, which was later renamed the Balalaika Symphonic Orchestra of New York City. The ensemble performed in its first public concert in 1938. By the mid 1940s, the ensemble would expand to over fifty members and included both Russian folk instruments and European symphonic instruments. At this time Kutin began arranging European orchestral and operatic music for this ensemble. In the 1950s, the ensemble began performing annually at Carnegie Hall and was frequently assisted by the Cappella Russian Male Chorus. During this time, Kutin also established a  balalaika and domra studio, teaching lessons to interested students. Kutin served as the orchestra's director and conductor until his death in 1986.

Alexander Kutin Obituary, New York Times (June 3, 1986): section D, page 26.

Martin Edmund Kiszko, "The Origins and Place of the Balalaika in Russian Culture: Its migration to the USA, and the dissemination of the balalaika orchestras in America with particular reference to the Kasura and Kutin collections at the University of Illinois," vol. 1, University of Bristol, PhD in Music 1999.