Andrei Fyodorovich Arends was a composer, conductor, and violinist. He graduated from the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied violin under Ferdinand Laub and music theory under Pyotr Tchaikovsky. From 1900 to 1924, he held the post of principal conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre ballet. Under his direction, Alexander Glazunov's “Raymonda” received its Moscow premiere (1900), and Pyotr Tchaikovsky's “Swan Lake” was revived (1901). He also conducted “La Bayadère”, “Giselle”, and other ballets. As a composer, he wrote overtures to Friedrich Schiller's “The Bride of Messina”, the opera “Almanzor”, and a number of other works. He taught at the School of Music and Drama of the Moscow Philharmonic Society. In 1922, he was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of the State Academic Theatres. The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum collection includes playbills, programmes, sketches, and photographs from productions in which Arends participated, as well as his letters and telegrams.