Nicolai Sokoloff

Sokoloff, Nicolai (nyĭkəlī' sō'kəlôf'), 1886-1965, American conductor and violinist, b. near Kiev, Russia. After studying at Yale and under Charles Martin Loeffler, he toured France and England as a violinist. He was the first conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, 1918-32; directed the Federal Music Project, 1935-38; and conducted the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, 1938-40. Subsequently he directed the Musical Arts Society at La Jolla, Calif.