Maestro move: Finns pluck Russian music director

Maestro move: Finns pluck Russian music director

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norman lebrecht

August 17, 2015

The Lahti Symphony Orchestra has named Dima Slobodeniouk as principal conductor and director of its Sibelius festival. He succeeds Okko Kamu in September 2016.

Lahti has had a good run of Finnish chiefs in Vänskä, Saraste and Kamu.

Slobodeniouk came to Finland to study conducting with Leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula and Atso Almila, as well as the visiting Ilya Musin.

He will continue to serve as music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.

Photo: MArco Borggreve--All rights reserved
photo: Marco Borggreve

Comments

  • Pirkko says:

    Sorry, Norman but Slobodeniouk has been a Finnish citizen for ages!

  • Joel says:

    I know Dima was born in St Petersburg but he has been living in Finland since…. the age of five, or something? His Finnish is totally fluent.

  • Dima says:

    Dear Norman, thanks for congrats! Just to make it clear: i was born in Moscow and moved to Finland in 1992 at the age of 16. Never studied conducting in St Petersburg- only in Helsinki under leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula and Atso Almila. Took few lessons from Musin in Helsinki.

  • Ilkka says:

    Great choice! And it is nice to see a slightly younger conductor for a change. But a great run of conductors indeed.

  • Wilhelm says:

    Great choice for Lahti! Many musicians and audience members would actually have wanted to see this huge talent to be the next chief conductor of Helsinki Phil, but now Lahti succeeded in making a more advanced choice – congrats to all of them!

  • RW2013 says:

    He needs more photos of himself on his website.

  • Robert Oxley says:

    Visiting Liverpool and thrilled to see the L. Philharmonic, I was very disappointed when I realized Petrenko would not be conducting. Instead, it was Dima who presented us with one of the best Beethoven 7ths I’ve ever heard. His manner on the podium was terrific and the orchestra loved him too. Keep your eye on him.

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