Born in Russia, in 1873, Altschuler studied cello at the Warsaw Conservatory, later moving to Moscow, where he studied composition with Arensky and Taneyev. After graduating, in 1890, from the Moscow Conservatory, Altschuler embarked on a career as a cellist. He eventually moved to the United States. In 1903, in New York, he founded the Russian Symphony Orchestra. Atschuler's orchestra quickly became an important institution for the dissemination of Russian culture in America. For example, Altschuler's conducted the world premiere of Scriabin's Le Poème de l'extase in 1908. In addition, he gave American premieres of other important Russian composers, including Rachmaninov, Liadov, and Ippolitov-Ivanov. Alstchuler died in 1963.