Semyon Bychkov

Born in the Soviet Union on November 30, 1952, and naturalized American in 1983, Semyon Bychkov studied in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). After winning the Rachmaninov Competition in 1973, he left his homeland for Vienna and the United States due to political differences. From 1980 to 1985, he conducted the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, then from 1985 to 1989 the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in New York State, before embarking on a career in Europe. Director of the Orchestre de Paris from 1989 to 1998, he also conducted the Mai musical in Florence and other renowned phalanges. In 1997, he was appointed conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, a post he held until 2010. At the same time, he made a name for himself with opera productions at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London) and the Metropolitan Opera in New York, where he conducted Verdi, Wagner and Richard Strauss. His discography also includes Verdi's Requiem and Shostakovich's symphonic cycle. In 2012, the year of his 60th birthday, he led the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra (at the BBC Proms). Elder brother of conductor Yakov Kreizberg (1959-2011), Semyon Bychkov is married to pianist Marielle Labèque.

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