Dmitry Sitkovetsky
A renaissance man and a magnetic creative force, Dmitry Sitkovetsky is recognised throughout the world for the considerable impact he makes on every aspect of musical life. A prolific recording artist, with a career spanning more than four decades, he is celebrated globally as a violinist, conductor, creator, transcriber, and facilitator – and holds an undisputed and venerable position in musical society as a giant personality and educator.
Full of international festivals, competitions, and orchestral performances, Sitkovetsky’s 2023-2024 season follows an eventful summer, including the Gala Concert for the 30th Anniversary of the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, where his special new transcription of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was premiered by a star-studded ensemble of 42 festival soloists. He also performed and conducted at the Varna Festival in Bulgaria; the Clandeboye Festival in Northern Ireland; and the Gabala International Music Festival in Azerbaijan. He made his debut with the Sofia Philharmonic, as well as his recital debut in Riga, Latvia. As his season continues, he both performs and conducts with the New European Strings Chamber Orchestra – which he founded in 1990 – and with the Silesian Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra in Katowice, Poland. He appears as a juror for the New York Young Concert Artists Semi-Final and Final Auditions, as well as the Katowice Fitelberg Conducting Competition Jury (Poland) and the Concertino Praga: Antonín Dvořák International Radio Competition for Young Musicians (Czech Republic). He also leads masterclasses with the Blackmore International Music Academy (Berlin, Germany) and performs in Berlin with his students of the Masterclass.
In his previous season, Sitkovetsky closed a major chapter in his career, leading North Carolina’s Greensboro Symphony Orchestra in his 20th and final season as Music Director. Over two decades with the orchestra, Sitkovetsky curated more than 120 different orchestral programs, featuring such soloists as Emmanuel Ax, Yefim Bronfman, Garrick Ohlsson and Pinchas Zukerman. Among last season’s international highlights, Sitkovetsky made key appearances in Israel – performing at the Jerusalem International Chamber Music Festival and conducting the Israel Camerata Jerusalem – and in Mexico, where he played at the Guadalajara Chamber Music Festival and conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional. He was also featured in concerts in Berlin, Germany; Bucharest, Romania; Havana, Cuba; Istanbul, Turkey; Baku, Azerbaijan; and Sofia, Bulgaria.
In a flourishing career as a conductor, Sitkovetsky has worked with such orchestras as Academy of St-Martin-In-The-Fields, Dallas Symphony, London Philharmonic, Orchestre de chambre de Paris, Lucerne Symphony, Orchestra della Toscana, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, and Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Japan Century Symphony, amongst others. In 1990, he founded the New European Strings Chamber Orchestra (NES) – bringing together the most distinguished string players from the top European ensembles.
His celebrated career is documented in an extensive discography of more than 40 recordings, reflecting the impressive breadth of his repertoire. His recording collaborators to date include such orchestras as the London Symphony, Philharmonia, and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, alongside such legendary maestros as Sir Colin Davis, Mariss Jansons, Sir Neville Marriner, and Lord Yehudi Menuhin. As a soloist, Sitkovetsky has performed with the world’s leading orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Philharmonic Orchestra, LA Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, New York Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra, among others.
Sitkovetsky has been invited to create, develop and lead a number of festivals, including the Korsholm Music Festival, Finland (1983-1993, and 2002), the Seattle International Music Festival (1992-1997), the Silk Route of Music, Azerbaijan (1999), and the Festival del Sole, Tuscany (2003-2006). He is also in high demand as a jury member, musical expert and educator.
Sitkovetsky’s name has become synonymous with the art of transcription. His iconic orchestral and string trio versions of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations are performed worldwide. Following this unprecedented success, Sitkovetsky has gone on to arrange over 60 works of major repertoire.
