The Central Navy Band of Russia

Honored Artist of Russia, Colonel Georgy Petrovich Alyavdin

Military Conductor of the Exemplary Band of the USSR Navy 1951-1970
Commander of the Exemplary Band of the USSR Navy 1953-1970

Georgy Alyavdin was born on 19 April 1923 in Polotsk, Belorussia. In 1927 his family moved to Vitebsk where the boy began to study music and play trumpet in the school band. In 1939 Georgy decided to go to Leningrad (now Saint-Petersburg) and enter the musical school at the Leningrad Conservatory, in the trumpet class of A.N. Schmidt. After successful graduation of the musical school in 1942 the young musician became a student of the Naval Conductors faculty of the Leningrad Conservatory, without entrance exams.

In 1947 Georgy Alyavdin graduated with honors from the Leningrad Conservatory with specializations: "Conducting", "Military Arrangements", "Trumpet" and the qualification of "Military Conductor" (Conducting class of Professor Ilya Musin, Arrangement class of Professor Boris Anisimov, Trumpet class of Professor Alexander Schmidt). The young conductor was then appointed as a military conductor at the Leningrad Higher Naval College. Four years with a rather small (24 musicians) but qualified Band gave Georgy Alyavdin good experience and repertoire, as well as the happiness of his first concert performances.

The inspection of the Leningrad Navy Bands organized in 1951 by the USSR Navy Ministry Band Service showed such a high level of the Band under the leadership of Senior Lieutenant G. Alyavdin, that the conductor who showed such superior results was promoted to the Separate Exemplary Navy Band (now the N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Central Exemplary Navy Concert Band) as a military conductor. A year and a half later Alyavdin was appointed Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of this Band and remained at that post until 1970.

Under the direction of Georgy Alyavdin the main Navy Band of the Soviet Union became one of the best in the world. The scope of the Band's activities was wide. The Band participated in official and public events of the General Staff and military crews, in all military parades in Red Square in Moscow, and fulfilled the duties according to the Military Charters. But the conductor concentrated his efforts most on the highly professional performance of the concert repertoire.

The Soviet composers asked the Central Navy Band to be the first performer of their woodwind music with the aim to produce, record on radio and introduce their music to the public at the concerts. Many compositions of N. Ivanov-Radkevich, G. Kalinkovich, M. Gotlib, E. Makarov, B. Anisimov, A. Dzegelenk and K. Garbar got their start in life in the Central Navy Band under the baton of Maestro Alyavdin.

The Band had many concert tours in the USSR and abroad. The Band performed in all Fleets of our country. The decks of big ships, sailors' clubs, stadiums and squares were often used as a concert stage. Singer-soloists always performed with the Band. G. Alyavdin not only invited singers but also gave a chance for talented Band musicians. Discovered during his military service, sailor Mikhail Maslov studied at the musical college and then the Moscow Conservatory. After that he became a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre and during many years sang the leading parties of the main repertoire of the theatre - he and also never ceased his performances with the Band.

For performances abroad, from 1965 till 1970 the Band was in France, Sweden, Finland, Egypt and Ethiopia. All concerts had great success that was followed by the publications by the local press and letters from the public.

In January 1962 Georgy Alyavdin was one of the first military conductors who was awarded the title "Honored Artist of the Russia" and in 1968 he was decorated with the Order of Respect. In 1971 Georgy Petrovich Alyavdin received the rank "Colonel".