Dmitri Shostakovich was born in 1906 to Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina, the second of three children. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the beginnings of the Russian Revolution. As a child, he was a prodigy as both a pianist and composer. His talent became apparent after beginning piano lessons with his mother at the age of eight. Read more...