Remembering Sasha Romanoff
Alexander D. Romanoff was born in Russia in 1902. He made a career of singing and joined the Slaviansky Chorus, a celebrated Russian Choir, which toured throughout Europe. In 1928 he emigrated to the U.S. with other chorus members. This group toured on the Orpheum Circuit, a chain of vaudeville and movie theaters founded in California in 1887, which featured a wide variety of entertainment and ultimately became a part of the RKO Corporation.
In the early 1930’s Sasha moved to Washington, DC to entertain at “The Balalaika” in the Mayflower Hotel downtown on Connecticut Avenue. He and his late wife Madeleine Romanoff Nolan and son Michael attended St. Nicholas from the time it started out in a townhouse on Church Street. Mr. Romanoff sang in the choir and was well known for his reading of the Epistle at Divine Liturgy. His powerful bass voice was sorely missed after his untimely death. Sasha had become a painting contractor in his later years. He died in the Washington Hospital Center in July of 1964 after suffering burns from a tragic work related fire.
By God’s grace, Sasha had been able to worship and sing for about a year in the newly constructed St. Nicholas church building dedicated in May of 1963. Soon after that historical event, just two months before his repose, Mr. Romanoff was awarded a “gramota” (scroll) by Metropolitan Leonty in recognition of his loyal service to the Church.
In 1965 the St. Nicholas Choir sponsored the re-gilding of the cover of the Gospel Book from which Sasha Romanoff had read. The heavy 12" x 11” book was encased in a plexiglass box with memorial plaque and mounted on the ledge of the choir loft where it remained until 2005, then was moved to be kept in a safe.
Kingdom of heaven to the departed. May his memory be eternal.
