Dima Slobodeniouk

Praised for his exhilarating approach and energetic leadership by musicians and audiences alike, Dima Slobodeniouk has become one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation. Slobodeniouk works with the world’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Munich Philharmonic, Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam, and NHK Symphony Orchestra. In the 2023-24 season, Slobodeniouk makes debuts with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, and Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, and returns to the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also appears with the Vienna Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and makes a special return to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, whose music director he was until 2022. Slobodeniouk makes his debut at Bavarian State Opera, conducting the revival of Calixto Bieito’s production of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov. Slobodeniouk is an acclaimed recording artist, with recent notable recordings including Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto with Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and Nicolas Altstaedt (Alpha), for which he received an ICMA Award, and an album of music inspired by the Finnish folk epic, the Kalevala (BIS). Other releases on BIS include the works of Kalevi Aho with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, which won the 2018 BBC Music Magazine Award, a disc of suites by Prokofiev, and Aho’s percussion concerto Sieidi and Symphony No. 5 with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra. For the Ondine label, Dima Slobodeniouk recorded works by Perttu Haapanen and Lotta Wennäkoski with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. Born in Moscow, Slobodeniouk studied violin at the Moscow Central Music School with Zinaida Gilels and Jevgenuia Chugajev. He continued his studies with the Ukrainian violinist Olga Parkhomenko at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, where he graduated in 2001. It was there that he also took up his conducting studies with Leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula, and Atso Almila. A passionate believer in widening opportunity, he started a conducting initiative while at the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, giving aspiring conductors podium time with a professional orchestra and the opportunity to work with Slobodeniouk on selected repertoire. Slobodeniouk was music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia from 2013 to 2022, principal conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra from 2016 to 2021, and artistic director of the Sibelius Festival.

Last updated: March 2024