Tikhon Askochensky

February 25, 1899 (age 67)

Sloboda Vesyolaya, Biryuchensky uyezd, Voronezh governorate, Russian Federation

He sang in a seminar choir. In 1919 he left Voronezh with General A. G. Shkuro’s troops. He fought on the side of the White Army in the Civil War. He was appointed Second Lieutenant of Drozdovsky artillery battalion. He emigrated to Bulgaria in 1920. For the sake of earning, he sang in the streets. He was a soloist of the Don Cossack Choir under the direction of S. A. Zharov between 1923–1927, with whom he was on stage in many European countries and also in Australia. Several gramophone recordings of the Cossack choir, where Askochensky sing, have survived. The Askochensky's singing was highly appreciated by S. V. Rachmaninov. Since 1927 he lived in Australia, had a poultry farm, bore the name Tim Ascot. Occasionally he sang in a church choir in Sydney, participated in secular concerts.