Andrian Semenovich Mazaraki was a Russian nobleman, musician, and philanthropist born into a distinguished family of Polish origin. His father, Semen Semenovich Mazaraki, was a lieutenant general of artillery and a veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812. His maternal grandfather, Ilya Nikolaevich Deboltsev, was a prominent civil servant and publicist. In 1850, Andrian entered the prestigious Page Corps. By 1854, he was commissioned as an ensign in the elite Semenovsky Regiment of the Imperial Guard. During the Crimean War, he took part in the defense of St. Petersburg’s coastline. He retired from military service in 1858 with the rank of lieutenant and transitioned into civilian government roles, serving in the offices of the Caucasus and Siberian Committees. In 1864, he left public service entirely to focus on cultural and philanthropic pursuits.