NewsLab

Sergei Rachmaninoff was born Apr. 2, 1873 in Russia. He graduated from Moscow University as a pianist in 1981, and then as a composer in 1982. He married his cousin, Natalia Salina, on Apr. 29, 1902, and they had two daughters, Irina and Tatiana. Seven years later, he made his debut in the United States at Smith (Mass.) College on Nov. 4, 1909. He left Russia permanently in 1917 after the Bolshevik Revolution with plans to tour Europe and America.  As a composer, he wrote four operas, three symphonies, two symphonic poems, 70 choral songs, and over 100 piano pieces. He became an American citizen at the tender age of 69 on Feb. 1, 1943. Rachmaninoff passed away less than two months later, just days before his 70th birthday on Mar. 28, 1943.