Piastro Iosif Borisovich (pseudonym: Borisov; February 5(17), 1889, Kerch – May 14, 1964, Monrovia, USA) — violin soloist, teacher, composer, and painter.

Iosif Piastro graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1912 (class of Leopold Auer). In St. Petersburg, he founded the L. Auer String Quartet.

From 1912, he lived in Riga, where he taught at Heinrich Gizhitsky’s music school. Starting in 1913, he was a teacher at the music school of the Riga branch of the Imperial Russian Musical Society. From 1910 to 1912, he performed as a soloist in the summer seasons of the symphony orchestra in Jūrmala.

Beginning in 1918, Iosif Piastro went on world tours. In 1920, he moved to the United States. He served as concertmaster of the symphony orchestra in Los Angeles and was a music teacher. He also pursued painting and became a member of the American Academy of Arts in 1924.

Selected works: opera Lolita, Crimean Rhapsody for Violin and Piano.

Source: SKV. pp. 14, 15.