Anastasia "Nastia" Poliakova (1877, Tula, Russian Empire — 17 October 1947, New York, USA) was a distinguished Russian-American mezzo-soprano/contralto, celebrated for her performances of "Gypsy romances." She was the sister of Egor (1871—1931) and Dmitry Polyakov (1878—1948), and the aunt of Vladimir Poliakoff (1887—1985). Beginning her musical career in her early teenage years, Nastia immigrated to Constantinople, Turkey, in 1920, later moving to France before finally settling in the United States. She recorded numerous gramophone records starting in 1911 with labels such as Pathé, Gramophone Concert Record, Decca, Seva, and others.
Nastia was born in a Romani camp on the outskirts of Tula, into a family renowned for their traditional choir singing. In 1882, when she was five years old, her family moved to Moscow. By 1889, she had joined the celebrated N. I. Khlebnikov's Gypsy Choir along with her brothers, performing frequently at the "Yar" restaurant. Polyakova gained significant recognition after her performance in a gala show at the "Paradise" operetta theater in Moscow, where she starred alongside Raisa Raisova and Sasha Davydov at the tender age of 14-15. One of her early supporters was Countess T.K. Tolstaya, a passionate admirer of Gypsy romances, who assisted Nastia in arranging her early concert programs and encouraged her to cultivate her own artistic style rather than imitating her idol, Varya Panina.
In 1898, at the age of 21, Anastasia Polyakova married and chose to leave her stage career. However, a few years later, she returned to music when Panina recognized her in the audience at one of her concerts and invited her to perform an impromptu duet, which received a standing ovation. This moment reignited Nastia's passion for singing. In 1911, she made her debut at the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatoire, subsequently touring across the Russian Empire. In 1915, Polyakova directed a successful performance of her Gypsy Choir of Famous Performers of Gypsy Songs at the House of the Noble Assembly, which raised funds for soldiers injured in World War I. She continued to perform at various cabarets and operettas in Moscow until the revolution of 1917.
In 1920, Nastia Poliakova and her family immigrated to Constantinople, where many exiled White Army officers and the first wave of Russian émigrés had settled. She performed at the Stella restaurant, managed by Fyodor Tomas, a Russian entrepreneur of African-American descent. Soon after, she partnered with Greek-Russian baritone Yury Morfessi to open a Russian-themed restaurant called Strelna; however, the establishment was short-lived due to tax issues with Turkish authorities, prompting them to leave the country. After traveling through Europe for two years, Nastia settled in Paris in 1923. There, she held solo recitals and performed alongside artists like Alexander Vertinsky and Nadezhda Plevitskaya at prominent Russian restaurants, including the Shéherazade cabaret on Rue de Liège, while also touring France and Germany. Nastia reformed her Gypsy Choir in a smaller configuration, co-directed with her brother Dmitry Polyakov. Among the notable singers who joined them were Nuyra Masalskaya (18xx—1949), Aliosha, Valia Dimitrievitch, and her nephew, Vladimir Poliakoff. In 1926, she celebrated her 30th anniversary in music with a concert in Paris, attended by the esteemed writer Alexander Kuprin as a guest and host.
Around 1933, Nastia Poliakova immigrated to the United States, making her home in New York City. She performed at the White House for President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the late 1930s. Polyakova hosted her retirement show on 14 May 1945 at Club House in New York, featuring prominent Russian artists and musicians, including Sarah Gorby, Marusia Sava, Yury Vasilevsky, Theodore Zarkevich, and others.
