Dima Slobodeniouk

Conductor

“Masterful Balance: Slobodeniouk’s technique is outstanding - One is dazzled by his precision, his elegance, which makes any extra movements superfluous, by his presence of mind in the rhythmically challenging passages and by his fine feeling for orchestral colour.”    Rheinpfalz

Dima Slobodeniouk combines his native Russian roots with his years of musical study in Finland, where he now makes his home. Drawing together the powerful musical strengths of these countries has placed Slobodeniouk as one of today’s younger generation of deeply informed and intelligent artistic leaders on the podium.

Both opening and closing the 2011/12 season Dima Slobodeniouk will return to the Ulster Orchestra with soloists Paul Lewis and Barry Douglas.   Always maintaining a successful reinvitation rate he also returns to Lucerne Symphony with Katia Buniatishvili, Netherlands Philharmonic with Jean-Guihen Queryas, RAI Turin orchestra with soloist Nelson Goerner, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg with Ilya Gringolts, and the Malmö Orchestra.  With performances always anticipated in Helsinki he conducts both orchestras of the city;  the Helsinki Philharmonic performing the Finnish premiere of Rodion Shchedrin’s oboe concerto with Alexei Ogrintchouk, and an all-Russian programme with soloist Denis Matsuyev, and the Finnish Radio Symphony in a Liszt-Ligeti programme.  He also returns to the Turku Philharmonic with soloist Henri Sigfridsson.

In 2011/12 Slobodeniouk also makes debuts with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestra of Castilla y Leon with Baiba Skride, SWR Stuttgart orchestra with Christian Poltera, and the Philhamonie of Essen, with Kari Kriikku.     After making an impressive debut in the USA (Cincinnati Symphony in 2010) Dima Slobodeniouk returns to make his debut with the St Paul Chamber Orchestra, with finnish violinist Pekka Kusisto as soloist.

Slobodeniouk is becoming widely appreciated for his collaborations with peer composers. The young Finnish composer Sebastian Fagerlund is presented on the BIS label conducted by Slobodeniouk, with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (released: Spring 2011).  Also in 2011/12 season he will conduct and record the premiere Jukka Linkola’s piano concerto in Turku.

As Principal Conductor of the Oulu Symphony (2005-2008) he led both concerts and opera productions including Les Contes d’Hoffman, Don Giovanni, Gluck’s Orfeo e Eurydice.  In May 2010 he returned to the Royal Opera House, Stockholm to conduct Tosca where he had previously made his debut with Prokofiev’s Fiery Angel.

Slobodeniouk, Moscow-born, studied violin at the Central Music School under Zinaida Gilels and J. Chugajev between 1980-1989. He continued at the Conservatory’s Music Institute, Moscow in 1989 and at the Middle Finland’s Conservatory and the Sibelius Academy under Olga Parhomenko. In 1994, Slobodeniouk started his conductor studies participating in the class of Atso Almila between the years 1996-1998. He continued his studies at the Sibelius Academy under the guidance of Leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula and Atso Almila. He has also studied under Ilja Musinin and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

SEASON 2011/2012