Kobylkin Ivan Tykhonovych

Born on September 18, 1926 in the village of Zhylino, Rossoshanskii District of Voronezh Oblast.

In 1943, he became a defender of the Fatherland. In the summer of 1950, Sergeant Kobylkin was demobilized from the army and entered the second year of the accordion department of the Luhansk Music School. During studying, he works in two places: at vocational school and at the accumulator plant as an accompanist of music bands.

In 1954, he graduated with honors from accordion and conducting-chorus departments of music college. In the same year, he became the first director of the founded Starobilsk Music School.

In 1965, he graduated from the conducting and choir faculty of the Kharkiv Conservatory.

Until 1991, he worked as a director of the Starobilsk Music School. From 1991 to 2008, he became a director of the Chmyriv Music School.

Member of the Association of Composers of the National All-Ukrainian Music Union, an Honorary Citizen of Starobilsk.

He died in Starobilsk on January 13, 2017.

He is the author of more than 200 songs, 20 of which were awarded regional and national prizes, as well as the author of 60 instrumental pieces and 200 arrangements of Ukrainian and Russian accordion songs.

He published 6 collections of songs, was published in collective works and periodicals.

He is an author of romances on words of Ivan Savych, Ivan Svetlichnyi, N. Lukin; he wrote music for performances “Terrible Don”, “The Squadron’s Death” and musical comedy “Son of the Earth” on libretto of N. Umants.

Ivan Kobylkin together with Ivan Svitlychnyi are the authors of the anthem of the city of Starobilsk.