Karel van Ark

Karel (Charles) Pieter Hendrik van Ark ( – ) was a Russian pianist, music teacher, and composer.

Biography Karel van Ark was of Dutch origin. He was born on 28 August 1839 ( in other sources ) in Saint Petersburg. His father was the organist of the Dutch Embassy Church in Saint Petersburg and a Dutch teacher. He received general education at the Peter and Paul Male Lutheran School.

A student of Theodor Leschetizky (piano) and Nikolai Zaremba (composition), van Ark became a teacher at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory from its founding in 1862, invited by Anton Rubinstein. He was initially an assistant to Leschetizky before becoming a professor in 1879. Van Ark was awarded the Order of Saint Stanislaus (third and second degree), Order of Saint Anna (third and second degree), and the Order of Saint Vladimir (fourth degree) during his forty years of teaching at the conservatory. Among his students were: Nikolai Abramychev, Anna Yesipova, Alexander Medem, Sophia von zur Mühlen, Paul de Conne, Nikolai Shishkin, Sergei Bortkiewicz, Pavel Weymarn, Viktor Kolomytsev, Nikolai Tcherepnin, and Lev Steinberg. As a composer, he composed a number of salon pieces, including an Impromptu à la tarantelle and songs.