Modest Altschuler (1873-1963), whose name is sometimes rendered in older catalogues as Altschuller, was a Russian-born cellist, conductor and composer who became an important advocate for Russian music in the United States. Born in Mogilev, he studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and later at the Moscow Conservatory.

After emigrating to America, Altschuler founded the Russian Symphony Orchestra of New York in 1903. Through that ensemble he introduced American audiences to a wide range of Russian and contemporary music, including works by composers who were then still unfamiliar outside specialist circles.

As a composer, Altschuler wrote in a late Romantic idiom shaped by Russian training and orchestral colour. His creative output is less widely remembered than his conducting work, but it reflects the same world of broad melody, rich sonority and national character.

Altschuler’s importance lies above all in transmission: he helped carry Russian repertory into American concert life at a formative moment. In that role he was part musician, part ambassador, and part bridge between two musical worlds.