Background
Conus was born in Moscow to an expatriate Russian father living in France (Julius Conus) and a Russian mother.
Conus was born in Moscow to an expatriate Russian father living in France (Julius Conus) and a Russian mother.
He began studying piano at the age of four and wrote his first composition at the age of six. At seven, he composed a piece for piano and voice, and a gavotte, which he would later play for the Princess Heiress of Italy. Religious awakening
Shortly after his studies at the Moscow Conservatory, Conus left his family for Bulgaria where he spent two years in monasteries.
He became the bell ringer of the Saint Alexander Cathedral in Sofia.
He continued his piano and composition studies, encouraged by the Polish Ministry of Sofia to pursue a musical career in Warsaw, Poland. There he gave a series of "soirées musicales" in the private homes of Polish aristocrats.
Performances in Europe
Conus stayed in Warsaw from 1929 to 1933, and then returned to Bulgaria where he gave a series of recitals in concert halls and on the radio. In 1936, he studied in Vienna, Austria, with Paul von Kohn, professor and student of Anton Rubinstein.
In the following years, he gave a great number of widely acclaimed concerts throughout Europe in cities such as Vienna, Paris, Rome, Pisa, Florence, and other cities.
He played the works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Medtner, as well as original compositions. In France at Louisiana Rochelle and Cognac, he gave a series of recitals consecrated chronologically to the music of Beethoven and Chopin. In Paris, he was a student of noted pianist Isidor Philipp.
Morocco
In 1950, he departed for Kenitra, Morocco, where he was a Professor of music for almost ten years, traveling as far as Tunisia and Algeria to teach, and also played in a jazz band.
Later years in the United States
Conus arrived in the United States in September 1959. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Saint Elizabeth"s Hospital in Boston in 1988, leaving behind a legacy of unpublished musical works.