Igor Stravinsky

Russian Composer and Conductor

Igor Stravinsky was a seminal Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century. Born on June 17, 1882, in Oranienbaum, Russia, he first achieved international fame with three ballets commissioned by the impresario Sergei Diaghilev and performed by Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: "The Firebird" (1910), "Petrushka" (1911), and "The Rite of Spring" (Le Sacre du Printemps) (1913). The latter's avant-garde approach to rhythm and dissonance famously caused a riot at its premiere in Paris but went on to be celebrated for its revolutionary musical language and as a landmark in the development of modernist music.