ALEXANDER DOBROHOTOFF - 1985      Alexander Dobrohotoff was a brilliant musician; a child prodigy who played in the Andreev Balalaika Orchestra in St. Petersburg, Russia, conducted by V.V. Andreev, the father of the modern balalaika.  Dobrohotoff could play all the various stringed instruments of the orchestra (balalaikas, domras, guitars) as well as the piano and reed instruments.  In 1910 Dobrohotoff began giving solo concerts, accompanied by a pianist, as well as participating in the Andreev orchestra.  By 1915 Dobrohotoff had become well known as a balalaika soloist, playing in the theatres of Moscow.  He was appointed court balalaikist to the Tsar and became a great favorite.  In that year, 1915, Andreev presented him with the Andreev-Nalimoff balalaika.        During the Russian Revolution, his wife was murdered by the Bolsheviks and his son was spirited away to some Communist Youth Camp.  Dobrohotoff spent an entire year in a futile attempt to locate his son.  In his hurried departure he carried with him the Andreev-Nalimoff balalaika, a small trunk containing two national costumes, a 16-stringed guitar he designed and several albums that contained photographs of his family and clippings of his concerts.  His escape was made through Siberia.  In China he made a hard living playing for Russian émigrés.  Moving on to Japan he assisted in the newly budding motion picture industry.      In 1925 he came to the United States.  He tried giving balalaika concerts but the only people interested were Russian émigrés.  He could not earn a living at this, as there were not enough of these people.  He organized balalaika orchestras for Hollywood productions based on Russian novels.  There were not enough of these; however, to sustain a living.  The American public at that time had not been exposed to Russian music and could not understand the balalaika.  Discouraged by lack of recognition and haunted by the loss of his family, he finally settled in Chicago.      Alexander Dmitrievich Dobrohotoff died at his apartment in Chicago on February 22, 1938 at the age of 50