Vladimir Olovnikov was a Belarusian Soviet composer and music educator. Born in Bobruisk on January 16, 1919, he graduated from the Belarusian State Conservatory in 1941. He studied composition with the composer and teacher V. A. Zolotaryov and piano with M. A. Berger.
From 1947, Olovnikov taught music theory subjects at the Belarusian Conservatory, becoming an associate professor in 1966. He served as the conservatory’s rector from 1962 to 1982 and became a professor in 1980.
He began composing with chamber music and worked in symphonic, chamber, and vocal genres. His output included string quartets, orchestral works, musical poems, suites, a children’s cantata, choruses, vocal duets, and romances. Songs intended for mass singing and music for films brought him particular recognition. His song “My Dear Homeland” became the interval signal of Belarusian Radio and was twice proposed as the national anthem of Belarus.
Olovnikov also wrote music for dramatic productions and films, including Mikolka the Locomotive (1956), The Girl Is Looking for Her Father (1959), Spring Storms (1960), and The Street of the Younger Son (1962). His documentary film scores included Road Without a Halt and Ballad of a Mother (both 1965). He was named Honored Artist of the Belarusian SSR in 1955, Honored Art Worker of the Belarusian SSR in 1957, and People's Artist of the Belarusian SSR in 1970. He died in Minsk on July 31, 1996.