Viktor Bagrov

29.06.1946 – 23.02.2009

Viktor Alexandrovich Bagrov was born on 29 June 1946 in Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod). His parents were Alexander Nikulin and Antonina Mikhailovna Rybakina (Bagrova).

His mother, Antonina Mikhailovna, worked all her life as an inspector at the V. I. Lenin Gorky Television Plant. She was awarded the medal “For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945” and was a labour veteran. On the advice of the kindergarten teachers, who had noticed Vitya’s musical ear, his mother brought her son to the Boys’ Choir Chapel.\nAntonina Mikhailovna worked three shifts at the plant, so there was no one to leave the child with. The Boys’ Choir Chapel was housed in the old building at 16 Gruzinskaya Street, which also had a boarding house where many of the children lived and rested after lessons. In that post-war period the Chapel mostly had children from orphanages and single-parent families. General education subjects were taught at secondary school No. 14. This was not very convenient, as the children had to walk a long way to school, from Sverdlova Street to Studenaya Street.

Tours, concerts and participation in the city theatres’ productions did not interfere with their studies. Every summer the Chapel boys went to their dacha in Zeleny Gorod, where they sang and played football with abandon. Gradually the Chapel became Viktor Alexandrovich’s life. It gave him everything: a musical education, friendship, brotherhood, a love of choral singing, respect for his teachers and, of course, great respect and love for Lev Konstantinovich Sivukhin. Studying at the Chapel determined V. A. Bagrov’s whole later life.

From 1960 to 1965 he studied at the Gorky Music College, and then from 1968 to 1973 at the Glinka Gorky State Conservatory, graduating as a choir conductor from the choral conducting class of Professor Margarita Alexandrovna Samorukova. Throughout this time Viktor Alexandrovich continued to work at the Boys’ Choir Chapel. He worked with the junior choir and taught solfège and conducting.

Among his graduates in choral conducting:

1986: Voronin Sergei Alexandrovich\n1987: Moseev Maxim Yuryevich, Nikitin Vasily Stepanovich\n1989: Krislamov Sergei Viktorovich

In 1983 Viktor Alexandrovich was appointed director of the Nizhny Novgorod Boys’ Choir Chapel. As director he “fought” for the building at 4 Minin Square, where the L. K. Sivukhin Nizhny Novgorod Choir School is now housed. The dream of the Chapel boys came true: general education and music education were united in one building. During his years at the Boys’ Choir Chapel Viktor Alexandrovich was repeatedly awarded certificates of merit and letters of gratitude, and in 2004 he was given the honorary title “Honoured Worker of Culture of the Russian Federation” for his services in the field of culture and many years of work.

Viktor Alexandrovich’s last place of work was Children’s Music School No. 13.

He died on 23 February 2009. He is buried at the Novo-Sormovskoye Cemetery in Nizhny Novgorod.