Established in 1991 in DE - Founded by the late Mstislav Rostropovich, and his late wife, Galina Vishnevskaya, a Russian cellist and soprano respectively. Widely considered as one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century, Rostropovich had works commissioned for him by composers Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten, Olivier Messaien, and others. He was also musical director and conductor of the U.S. National Symphony Orchestra, from 1977 to 1994, and in 1995 was the recipient of the Polar Music Prize. Vishnevskaya enjoyed a well-respected international career from 1944 to 1982, and sang at the Royal Opera House and La Scala during her career.