Alexander Polyanichko (Conductor)
• The Honoured Artist of Russia (2009) • First Prize Laureate in
the Sixth All-Union Conductor’s Competition (1988)
Formerly a violinist in the Leningrad (St. Petersburg) Philharmonic Orchestra
under Evgeny Mravinsky, Alexander Polianichko studied conducting at the St.
Petersburg Conservatoire with Prof. Iliya Musin. In December 1988, he was
awarded first prize in the Sixth All-Union Conducting Competition. In February
1989, he was invited by Maestro V. Gergiev to join to the Mariinsky (Kirov)
Theatre as a House Conductor. Alexander toured with the Company throughout
Europe, Asia, and the United States.
In 1994, Polianichko made his London debut conducting English National
Opera’s production of Eugene Onegin. This led to him conducting two productions
of Tchaikovsky’s operas with the Royal Opera Covent Garden: a revival of Queen
of Spades with Placido Domingo and a new production, The Tsarina’s
Slippers, by Francesca Zambello of Cherevichki.
As a guest conductor, Polianichko has appeared at many renowned opera houses
including: Bolshoi Theatre, Royal Opera House, La Scala, Deutsche Oper, San
Francisco Opera, Australian Opera, English National Opera, Welsh National Opera,
Danish Royal Opera, Stuttgart Oper, Colorado Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City,
Norwegian Royal Opera, and Swedish Royal Opera. In 1996, he was invited to take
the Opéra National de Paris to New York for their appearances at the MET.
Polianichko has worked with leading orchestras around the world including:
Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Russian National Orchestra,
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Scottish National Orchestra,
City of Birmingham Symphony, Hallé Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra,
Danish National Radio Orchestra, English and Irish Chamber Orchestras, among
many others.
From 1986 to 1989, Polianichko was the Principal Conductor and Artistic
Director of the Belorussian State Chamber Orchestra in Minsk. He also taught
conducting in Belorussian and Leningrad State Conservatoires. From 1996 to 1999,
he was the Principal Conductor of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta. From 2012 to
2015, he was the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Rostov
Academic Symphony Orchestra. He also served as the professor of the conducting
department of the Rostov State Conservatoire.
From 2005, Polianichko gave orchestral master-classes for the Swedish
National Orchestra Academy, Symphony Orchestra of the Royal College of Music,
London, Chamber Orchestra of the Cambridge University, and Britten-Pears Youth
Orchestra. Since 2002, he has been holding annual conducting master-classes in
St. Petersburg organized by Peter the Great Music Academy, the Royal Baltic
festival, and the Theatre of Hermitage Museum, to which students come from all
over the world.
Polianichko appears at many prestigious music festivals in Russia and abroad
including: Edinburgh, Aldeburgh and Savonlinna, Golden Mask, White Nights, and
Shalyapin Opera Festivals.
Jury member at the Rimsky-Korsakov Opera Singers’ Competition (1996) Jury
member at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition (2011).
Recordings Featured in DVD recording of Julia & Romeo by Mats Ek with
Royal Sweden Ballet (2013); Featured in DVD recordings Cherevichki/Tsarina’s
Slippers with Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (2009); Featured in
recordings of Beyond the Score with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2008);
Featured in television recordings and live radio broadcasts worldwide;
Featured in audio recordings on the label Melodia in Russia.
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