Sol Hurok

Background

Sol Hurok was born on April 9, 1888 in Pogar, Russia.

Career

A native of the Russian town of Pogar, Hurok arrived in the United States in 1906 with three rubles in his pockets. While working in a variety of jobs he began to give expression to his artistic bent by organizing concerts for labor organizations. An important breakthrough in this career came when he arranged for noted violinist, Efrem Zimbalist, to play at a benefit performance for the Socialist party.

In 1914 he became a naturalized American citizen, and two years later, had already come into his own as an impresario, regularly presenting 11 famous artists at New York’s Hippodrome. Though the performers Hurok presented during his six decades of entrepreneurial activity included many of America’s finest artists, he became most well known as an importer of the best foreign talent. He was responsible for the visit of the Habimah Theater in 1926 and of the Moscow Art Players in 1935, and many subsequent tours by : performers such as the Sadlers’ Wells Ballet, the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, and the Bolshoi and Kirov ballets. Among the individuals who appeared under the legend “S. Hurok Presents,” the most prominent were Isadora Duncan, Anna Pavlova, Feodor Chaliapin, and, in later years, Isaac Stern, Maria Callas, and Rudolf Nureyev.

Proud of an unblemished success record, Hurok originated the oft-quoted saying “When people don’t want to come, nothing will stop them.” Although he never ceased his activities, Hurok sold his company in 1969. In 1972 the Jewish Defense League was linked to the firebombing of his offices in Manhattan, an attack in which a secretary was killed. The apparent motive was to protest against Hurok’s cultural ties with the Soviet Union at a time of restricted Jewish emigration from that country.

Achievements

• Not only was he noted for his lavish treatment of the established stars he brought over; he also went out to discover his own great names, most notably the contralto Marian Anderson. Hurok exported well too, giving many foreign audiences the chance to see American artists.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Impresario: A memoir 1946

• Other Work

  • The Last Impresario: The Life, Times, and Legacy of Sol Hurok

References

• The Last Impresario: The Life, Times, and Legacy of Sol Hurok