Biography

Maestro Andrei Shevchuk's profile is primarily that of a conductor of Russian origin.

Trained in the tradition of rigour and generosity of the Russian school, conductors must possess an open mind and an appreciation of diversity and nuance that reflects the vastness of their country and its nations. Russian conductors often hold the secret to universality more than any other, like a combination of all particularities.

Born on 1 March 1970, Andrei Shevchuk began his training with the St Petersburg Academic Chapel, then obtained diplomas in choral conducting and symphony conducting at the St Petersburg State Conservatory.

After winning first prize in the All-Russian Choir Conductor Competition and graduating from the Sergei Prokofiev International Competition in orchestral conducting, he was appointed principal conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, sponsored successively by Yuri Bashmet, Yuri Temirkanov and Valery Gergiev.

His career as a Russian conductor led him to France in 1996, where he was offered positions as conductor and choir director. He collaborated with some of the greatest names in music, notably Mstislav Rostropovich as assistant conductor. He also held several conducting positions with ensembles from various European countries: the Brussels Chamber Orchestra, the Telemann Orchestra of Miskolc (Hungary), the Lyon Symphony Orchestra, the Abaco Orchestra of Munich, the Studenten Orchester of Ulm and Dortmund, and the Krasnoyarsk National Opera Orchestra (Russia).

Since then, Maestro Andreï Chevtchouk has expanded his collaborations as a choir director and conductor in an increasingly broad repertoire, one in which Russian music rubs shoulders with all national repertoires, from chamber music to the most demanding symphonic works.