Nina Tarasova

Nina Tarasova (25 December 1895, Crimea, Russian Empire — 1 April 1967, Nice, France) was a Russian-American mezzo-soprano, chamber singer, and actress. She had a prolific career, renowned as one of the leading performers of Russian folk repertoire in Europe and the USA and producing many gramophone records for Zonophone Record, Victor, Columbia Phonograph Co., and Kismet Record Company. Tarasova retired from the stage in the early 1950s and grew interested in fine arts restoration in later years, operating a private workshop in New York. She died at 72 while visiting her sister in France. Nina Tarasova was married to Stuart Fitzhugh Voss (1885—1971), adopting the double name "Tarasova-Voss" at some point. Other name variations: Nina G. Tarasova Voss, Tarasoff, Нина Георгиевна Тарасова, Nina Georgievna Tarasova. Born in the Russian Empire, Nina received her music education in Munich, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in the early 1920s. Tarasova soon gained public and critical acclaim with her traditional Slavic song repertoire, touring Europe extensively with solo recitals. Between 1925 and 1928, she worked with Nikita Balieff's La Chauve-Souris ("The Bat") revue, starring in one of his first sound short films, The Hut (1929). Mme Tarasova sang at such prestigious venues as Salle des Agriculteurs de France (1924/25) and Salle Gaveau (1934) in Paris and performed with Nastia Polyakova in New York in 1935. She performed and recorded with pianist Lozar Weiner and Russian-born composer and band leader Theodore Zarkevich (1893—1977).