Ígor Fyodorovitch Stravinsky, one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, was born on June 17, 1882, in Oranienbaum, near St. Petersburg, Russia. He came from a musical family, with his father Fyodor Stravinsky being a prominent bass singer at the Imperial Opera in St. Petersburg.
Stravinsky's early education in music began with piano and composition lessons from renowned teachers, including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He initially showed great promise as a pianist and composer, but it was his compositional genius that would ultimately shape his career and leave an indelible mark on the world of music.