Semyon Bychkov

Semyon Mayevich Bychkov (; born November 30, 1952) is a Soviet-born American conductor. He is the chief conductor and artistic director of the Czech Philharmonic.

Biography

Childhood and studies in Russia Bychkov was born in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) to Jewish parents. His younger brother was Yakov Kreizberg, also a conductor. Bychkov studied at the Glinka Choir School for ten years before moving to the Leningrad Conservatory, where he was a student of Ilya Musin. At the Conservatory, Bychkov played volleyball for the Leningrad Dynamos. His family had suffered from official antisemitism, (the six performances were his only appearances with that company). On 4 July 1983, he became a U.S. citizen. In 1985, he became music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and he held that post until 1989. During his time in Grand Rapids and Buffalo, Bychkov came to international attention following a series of high-profile cancellations in 1984 and 1985 that resulted in invitations to conduct the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He was subsequently signed to a 10-year recording contract with Philips Classics Records, and made his debut recording conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5.

Career in Europe From 1989 to 1998, Bychkov was music director of the Orchestre de Paris. He became Principal Guest Conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra in 1990, principal guest conductor of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in 1992, chief conductor of Dresden's Semperoper in 1998 and chief conductor of the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne in 1997. He remained in Cologne until 2010, making a series of recordings including Brahms's Symphonies No. 1–4, Shostakovich's Symphonies Nos. 4, 7, 8, 10, and 11, Mahler's Symphony No. 3, Rachmaninov's The Bells and Symphonic Dances, Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben and Eine Alpensinfonie, Verdi's Requiem, as well as Strauss's Elektra and Daphne and Wagner's Lohengrin, which won BBC Music Magazine's Record of the Year for 2010.

Bychkov made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2003 with a new production of Elektra, and returned later that year to conduct Boris Godunov. In 2012, he assumed the newly created Günter Wand Conducting Chair with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, a post specially created for him. He holds the Otto Klemperer Chair of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

In 2013, Bychkov first guest-conducted the Czech Philharmonic. In 2017, the Czech Philharmonic announced its appointment of Bychkov as its next chief conductor and music director, effective with the 2018–2019 season. In 2022, the Czech Philharmonic extended Bychkov's contract through 2028. In 2024, the Czech Philharmonic announced that Bychkov will stand down as its chief conductor and music director after the 2027–2028 season.

Bychkov was named 'Conductor of the Year' by the International Opera Awards in 2015. He became an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music (Hon RAM) in 2015 and in 2022 received from the same institution an Honorary Doctorate of the University of London (Hon DMus).

In December 2025, Bychkov was the conductor at the Nobel Prize Concert 2025. In January 2026, the Paris Opera announced the appointment of Bychkov as its next music director, effective 1 August 2028, with an initial contract of four years. He is scheduled to take the title of music director-designate of the Opéra national de Paris on 1 August 2026.

Personal life Bychkov has been married twice. His first marriage was to Tatiana Rozina; the couple had two children. Their marriage ended in divorce. Bychkov's second marriage is to the pianist Marielle Labèque. The couple reside on the Côte Basque in French Basque country. Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10, GLANERT - Theatrum bestiarum

WDR Rundfunkchor Köln, Lege Artis Chamber Choir, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne

Mahler: Symphony No. 4 Czech Philharmonic, Chen Reiss Pentatone 2022 Mahler Symphony No. 5 Czech Philharmonic Pentatone 2022 Mahler Symphony No. 2 Czech Philharmonic, Christiane Karg, Elisabeth Kulman, Prague Philharmonic Choir Pentatone 2023 Mahler Symphony No. 1 Czech Philharmonic Pentatone 2023 Smetana: Má Vlast Czech Philharmonic Pentatone 2024 Dvořák Symphonies Nos. 7, 8, 9 Czech Philharmonic Pentatone 2024 Mahler: Symphony No. 3 Czech Philharmonic Pentatone 2025 Gustav Mahler: Symphonies 1–9 Czech Philharmonic Pentatone 2026