Dima Slobodeniouk

Praised for his exhilarating approach and energetic leadership by musicians and audiences alike, Dima Slobodeniouk has become one of the most sought-after conductors of his generation.

Slobodeniouk works with the world’s foremost orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Munich Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam, and NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo.

In the 2023-24 season, Slobodeniouk debuted with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. and with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He returned to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, and Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He also appeared with the Vienna Symphony and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and made a special return to the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, where he was music director until 2022.

In the opera pit, Slobodeniouk debuted at Bavarian State Opera, conducting the revival of Calixto Bieito’s production of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov.

Soloists he has worked with include Leif Ove Andsnes, Emanuel Ax, Khatia Buniatishvili, Seong-Jin Cho, Isabelle Faust, Kirill Gerstein, Barbara Hannigan, Håkan Hardenberger, Martin Helmchen, Alexandre Kantorow, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Beatrice Rana, Baiba Skride, Yuja Wang, and Frank Peter Zimmermann.

Known for his musical expertise and interpretive depth, Slobodeniouk is an acclaimed recording artist. Recent notable recordings include Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Cello Concerto with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and soloist Nicolas Altstaedt on Alpha, for which he received an ICMA Award. On the BIS label, he released an album of music inspired by the Finnish folk epic, the "Kalevala." Other releases on this label include the works of Kalevi Aho with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, which won the 2018 BBC Music Magazine Award, and a disc of Aho’s Sieidi and Fifth Symphony. For the Ondine label, Slobodeniouk recorded works by Perttu Haapanen and Lotta Wennäkoski with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Slobodeniouk studied with the Ukrainian violinist Olga Parkhomenko at Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, from which he graduated in 2001. It was there that he also took up his conducting studies with Leif Segerstam, Jorma Panula, and Atso Almila.

From 2016 to 2021, Slobodeniouk was principal conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, as well as artistic director of the Sibelius Festival. He was music director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia from 2013 to 2022, principal conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra from 2016 to 2021, and artistic director of the Sibelius Festival. Together with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, he built an extensive and highly acclaimed media library of live concert recordings. A passionate believer in widening opportunity, he started a conducting initiative while at Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia, giving aspiring conductors podium time with a professional orchestra and the opportunity to work with him on selected repertoire.

Last updated: March 2024