Balanchivadze, Meliton Antonovich
(1862–1937)
Balanchivadze [Buhluhncheevádzi], Meliton Antonovich (12–12/24–1862, Banodzha, near Kutaisi; 11–21–1937, Kutaisi). Singer and comp. Father of A. Balanchivadze and choreographer George Balanchine. Studied music at the Tbilisi Theological Seminary (1877–79), then founded an ethnographic choir (1882), for which he collected folk materials. Studied voice at the P. Cons. (1889); on A. Rubinshtein's recommendation, also became a comp. pupil of N. Rimsky-Korsakov (1891) and Iogansen. Later promoted…