Vasily Petrenko is Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a position he took on in 2021, becoming Conductor Laureate of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra following his hugely acclaimed fifteen-year tenure as their Chief Conductor from 2006-2021. He is Chief Conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra (since 2015), the Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León, and has also served as Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2013-2020) and Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (2009–2013). He stood down as Artistic Director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia ‘Evgeny Svetlanov’ in 2021 having been their Principal Guest Conductor from 2016 and Artistic Director from 2020.
Recent highlights have included wide-ranging touring with the Royal Philharmonic, across major European capitals, the US and China. The 23/24 season included a debut appearance with the NDR-Elphilharmonie in Hamburg and returns to Hong Kong Philharmonic, Dallas, Pittsburgh, Seoul, the Filarmonica della Scala in Milan and Dresden Symphony Orchestras. In 2024, Vasily also launched a new academy for young conductors, co-organized by the Primavera Foundation Armenia and the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Future highlights of 24/25 season include the production of Boris Godunov with the Dutch National Opera and orchestral appearances with Netherlands Radio, Sydney, Western Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Barcelona, Atlanta, National Symphony (Washington), Dresden and Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestras.
