A product of rigorous training primarily in Russia, conductor and keyboardist Maxim Emelyanychev stands out among contemporary Russian musicians. He demonstrates equal mastery whether leading standard orchestral works or pursuing historically informed approaches.
Born August 28, 1988, in Dzerzhinsk within Nizhny Novgorod Oblast of the Soviet Union, Emelyanychev grew up in a musical household and began studies at the Nizhny Novgorod Choral College at age seven. From 1995 to 2003 he concentrated on piano and conducting there, later supplementing his education with classes at the Balakirev Music College before advancing to the Moscow State Conservatory, where he trained under the renowned Gennady Rozhdestvensky. Parallel to these studies he developed a strong interest in the harpsichord and other period keyboards, working with Maria Uspenskaya and appearing with Moscow’s Alta Capella Ensemble. Emelyanychev began leading professional ensembles by the age of twelve; once his formal education concluded, both period-instrument groups and traditional symphony orchestras sought his services. He became affiliated with Il Pomo d’Oro in 2011 and assumed its principal conductorship in 2016, frequently directing keyboard concertos from the instrument itself. His first recording appeared in 2015, when he accompanied countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic on Decca’s Arie Napoletane.
Emelyanychev’s symphonic engagements have steadily expanded to include the Veritas Youth Orchestra, which he established, the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, and London’s Royal Philharmonic. Following a 2014 production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni at Seville’s Teatro de la Maestranza, he has performed at additional European opera houses. A 2018 guest engagement with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra led to his appointment as its principal conductor the next year, with the contract subsequently extended through 2025. Further recordings include a 2019 Linn release of Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C major, D. 944 (“The Great”) with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a 2020 Erato account of Handel’s Agrippina featuring Il Pomo d’Oro and an all-star cast, a 2021 historically informed traversal of Brahms’ violin sonatas alongside violinist Aylen Pritchin, and the 2022 album Eden by mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato with Il Pomo d’Oro. In 2023 Emelyanychev and Il Pomo d’Oro launched a new Mozart symphony cycle on the Aparte label with the album Mozart Symphonies -- The Beginning and the End.
