Semyon Bychkov
Chef d’orchestre
In 1985, Semyon Bychkov stepped in at short notice for Riccardo Muti and made his highly acclaimed debut conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker, who immediately engaged him for an orchestral tour. Since then, the Russian conductor, who emigrated to the USA in 1975 and has been an American citizen since 1983, has been a regular guest with the Philharmoniker.
Bychkov studied at Leningrad’s Glinka Conservatory under Ilya Musin, won the Rachmaninov Conducting Competition in 1973 and continued his training at the Mannes College of Music in New York. After his first appearances with American orchestras, he made his debut with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmoniker in quick succession, giving decisive impetus to what was soon to become a stellar career. Today a welcome guest with the world’s leading orchestras, opera houses and festivals, Bychkov was chief conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, the Semperoper Dresden and the WDR Sinfonieorchester. He appears regularly with the London Symphony Orchestra and has received various honorary degrees from the Royal Academy of Music. He is currently music director and chief conductor of the Czech Philharmonic. In 2015, Semyon Bychkov was named “Conductor of the Year” in London at the International Opera Awards.
