YURI TEMIRKANOV
Music Director and Chief Conductor

Was born in 1938 in Nalchik.
1953-1957: - He attended the Leningrad Conservatory's Secondary Special Music School.
1962: - He graduated from the Leningrad Conservatory (orchestral department) and stayed on to continue his studies as a student and finished with a postgraduate degree in conducting.
At the age of 28, he won first prize at the 2nd All-Union Conductors Competition in Moscow. This was followed by a tour of America with K.Kondrashin, D,Oistrakh and the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.
1966-1972: - He worked at the Leningrad Maly Opera and Ballet Theatre. His main operas during these years were: "La Traviata" (1966), "Elixir of Love" (1968), and "Porgy and Bess" (1972).
1968-1976: - Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Leningrad Symphony Orchestra.
1976-1988: - Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre. He staged himself and conducted "Eugene Onegin" (1982) and "The Queen of Spades" (1984).
He toured many European countries with the Kirov Opera including the first opera tour in the Theatre's history to England, as well as tours to Japan and the USA.
He was the first conductor to play symphonic concerts with the orchestra of the Kirov Theatre.
In 1978, Temirkanov began to work with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. In 1988, Temirkanov was elected to the post of Chief Conductor and Music Director of the St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
1992-1997: - Principal Guest Conductor of the Danish Radio Orchestra (Copenhagen).
Since 2000 he has became the Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (USA).
He has performed with many great orchestras of the world including: the PhiladelphiaOrchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Concertgebouw, Cleveland Symphony, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and Santa Cecilia.
At the end of the war with Afganistan, Temirkanov was the first Russian conductor to be invited to the USA, by the New York Philharmonic.
1996: - He conducted the Gala concert of the U.N. in Rome, to celebrate it's 50th Anniversary.
1988: - He signed an exclusive recording contract with "BMG".
Yuri Temirkanov has recorded extensively with the St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 1990, together with Columbia Artists, a recording was made of the Gala concert in St.Petersburg, for the 150th anniversary of the birth of P.I.Tchaikovsky.
He regularly gives masterclasses at the Curtis Institute (Philadelphia) and also at the Manhattan School of Music (New York) and at the Accademia Chighana (Sienna, Italy).