Nikolay Mikhaylovich Mikhaylov () was a Soviet military conductor. He was the Senior Director of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union from 1976 to 1993.

Early life and career

Mikhaylov was born in 1932 in the village Usa in the

Bashkir ASSR The Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, also historically known as Soviet Bashkiria or simply Bashkiria, was an autonomous republic of the Russian SFSR. Currently it is known as Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of Russia. ...

. In 1945, he studied at the

Moscow Military Music College The Valery Khalilov Moscow Suvorov Military Music College is one of the leading military music institutions in Russia. It is a separate branch of the Suvorov Military Schools in Russia, and the oldest of them all (opened 1937). History On Augu ...

. Being a cadet at the college, he took part in the

Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 The 1945 Moscow Victory Parade (), also known as the Parade of Victors (), was a victory parade held by the Soviet Armed Forces (with the Color Guard Company representing the First Polish Army) after the defeat of Nazi Germany. This, the longest ...

as a drummer of the school. In 1950 he graduated from the school and studied at the Institute of Military Conductors. From 1965 to 1970 he was the senior director of the central orchestra of the

Volga Military District The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001. The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at differen ...

. In 1975, Mikhaylov was appointed deputy chief of the Moscow State Conservatory. In 1976, he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Central Military Band of the Ministry of Defense of the USSR and Chief Conductor of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union. He commanded the massed bands during

Victory Day Parades Victory Day (9 May), Victory Day parades () are common military parades that are held on 9 May in some Post-Soviet states, post-Soviet nations, primarily Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Ukraine. They are usually held to honor the traditional Vic ...

and Revolution Day Parades for 14 years from 1976 to 1990. He was released from this post in early 1993. He died in Moscow on October 22, 2006, and was buried in Vostryakovskoe Cemetery.

Legacy

The Nikolay Mikhaylov Moscow Concert Wind Brass and All-Russian Competition of Brass Orchestras is named after Mikhaylov.

Russian military bands Russian military bands fall under the jurisdiction of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia, which is the official music service for the Russian Armed Forces, and led by the Senior Director of Music, a billet of an officer wit ...

, specifically the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union grew enormously under general Mikhaylov. The band tradition under his leadership was modernized as well as strengthened in order to keep up with the cultural advancement of the

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

, Soviet society and international

military bands A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind instrument, wind and percussion instruments. The conducting, conductor of a ...

. Bands became more notable and accessible in the 17 years he led the service, with the massed bands of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

taking part in the opening and closing ceremonies of the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

in its debut performance to a worldwide audience.

Awards

Order of the Red Star The Order of the Red Star () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 1930 but its statute was only defined in decree of the Presidium of the ...

Honored Artist of the RSFSR Honored Artist of the RSFSR (, ''Zasluzhenny artist RSFSR'') was an honorary title granted to Soviet artists, including theatre and film directors, choreographers, music performers, and orchestra conductors, who had outstanding achievements in the ...

(1978) *

Lenin Komsomol Prize Lenin Komsomol Prize () was a Soviet Union, Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years. Komsomol was the abbreviated name of The Communist Union of ...

(1981) *

State Prize of the USSR The USSR State Prize () was one of the Soviet Union’s highest civilian honours, awarded from its establishment in September 1966 until the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. It recognised outstanding contributions in the fields of science, mathem ...

(1985) *

Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (, ''Zasluzhenny artist Rossiyskoy Federatsii''), also known as Honored Artist of Russia, is an honorary title in the Russian Federation. The title is awarded to actors, directors, filmmakers, writers, d ...

References

} {{DEFAULTSORT:Mikhaylov, Nikolay 1932 births 2006 deaths Russian male composers Soviet composers Soviet male composers Soviet conductors (music) Soviet major generals Moscow Military Music College alumni Russian military musicians 20th-century Russian conductors (music) Russian male conductors (music) 20th-century Russian male musicians

Early life and career

Legacy

Awards

See also

References