Internationally recognized as one of Russia’s most prestigious and versatile orchestras, the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1930, as the First Symphony Orchestra of the Soviet Radio.

Alexander Orlov became the orchestra’s first director in 1930 and is credited with developing a diverse and voluminous repertoire. From 1937 to the present, a series of outstanding directors have contributed to the orchestra’s distinctive artistic style and personality: Nikolay Glovanov, Alexander Gauk, and Gennady Rozhdestvensky. In 1974, Vladimir Fedoseyev assumed leadership, and turned the orchestra into one of Russia’s most widely acclaimed ensembles.

Over the years, a distinguished group of conductors and soloists have played an integral role in the development of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra: Stokowski, Mravinsky, Cluytens, Sebastian, Abendrot, Oistrakh, S. Richter, great singers A. Nezhdanova, S. Lemeshev, N. Ghiaurov, L. Pavarotti, M. Freni. E. Gilels, later V. Tretjakov, Y. Bashmet, L. Leonskaja and other contemporary musicians have supported the orchestra from the beginning of their career.

In 1993 the Orchestra was renamed by the decree of the Russian Ministry of Culture, Tchaikovsky Museums and Societies and became Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra as the recognition of its role in promoting Tchaikovsky’s music all over the world. The orchestra has given premieres of now famous works of composers as Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Miaskovsky, Prokofiev. Moreover, many grand pages of their scores were dedicated to the Orchestra. Engagements abroad have included appearances in London, Tokyo, Vienna, Paris, Milan, Munich, Frankfurt, Geneva, Stockholm, Rome, Oslo, Prague and many other major cities. Also the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is a frequent participant in leading world festivals, from Salzburg and Edinburg to Paris and Hong Kong.

Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra have recorded extensively for a variety of labels including Ariola, JVC, Musica, Philips, Pony Canyon, Sony Classical and Relief. The beginning of season 2014/2015 was marked by four concerts at Musikverein’s Gold Hall in Vienna.  During this season the orchestra was also touring in France, Austria, Switzerland, Germany and South Korea as well as the concerts in the best halls of biggest Russian cities.

Artistic Director & Chief Conductor: Vladimir Fedoseyev

As artistic director and chief conductor of the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra and permanent guest conductor of Opernhaus Zurich and Zurich Tonhalle, Vladimir Fedoseyev is world-famous for his interpretations of most unlike composers from various epochs and styles. During his career, Vladimir Fedoseyev has won numerous international awards: Russia's order "For Services to the Motherland" and Austria's Silver Cross for his services to culture (both 1996); the Gold Star from the City of Vienna (2002); the Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class, from the Austrian Academy (2005); the most recent Gold Medal of the International Gustav Mahler society (2007); and others.

Vladimir Fedoseyev graduated from Moscow's Gnesins Musical Academy and Tchaikovsky Conservatory and was invited by the legendary Evgeny Mravinsky to conduct the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his opera debut also in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg), his native town, in the Mariinsky Theatre.

In 1974 Vladimir Fedoseyev became artistic director and chief conductor of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, now known as the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra. From 1997 to 2004 he was chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. In recent years he has worked as a guest conductor with many world’s leading orchestras such as Bayerischer Rundfunk, Köln Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Berlin Philharmonic, Zurich Tonhalle and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. He is also highly esteemed in Japan, where he was appointed principal guest conductor of Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra in 1996. In 2004/05 season he worked as a guest conductor with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras.

His staging of operas by Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Verdi, Berlioz, Janacek in Milan and Florence, in Vienna, Paris, Zurich and other European theatres is always a great success, not least his recent performances of Dvorak’s opera “Rusalka” at the Zurich opera, “Gogol” by Lera Auerbach at Theater an der Wien, opera of Alexandre Borodin “Prince Igor” at the Zurich opera and “Cleopatra” by Jules Massenet at Salzburg Whitsun Festival.

Conductor: Mischa Damev

Multi-talented Mischa Damev is of Franco-Bulgarian descent, and was born in Sofia.  He received his first music lessons from his grandfather Michael Lefterov, a famous Bulgarian conductor. When he was ten his family moved to Switzerland. In 1986 he completed his piano studies at the Musikhochschule in Basel with a soloist diploma and then studied with Alexis Weissenberg in Paris and Nikita Magaloff in Geneva.

From 1990 to 1999 he was artistic director of the Orpheum International Festival for Young Soloists in Zurich. Between 1992 and 2007 he led the Swiss Lilienberg recital series and the Lilienberg Foundation Art & Culture Division. In 2000 he was appointed Trustee of the London International Master Prize Competition for Contemporary Symphonic Music.

On the advice of his mentor, Mariss Jansons, in 1991 he switched from his career as a concert pianist to study conducting intensively in Vienna with the legedary Prof. Karl Österreicher.  After his successful debut with the Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio and the Opera House in Sofia he spent several years working as assistant to Georges Prêtre and Vladimir Fedosseyev.

Mischa Damev has conducted orchestras such as the Moscow Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra (Permanent Guest Conductor since 1996), Russian National Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra, Orchestra di San Carlo di Napoli, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, Orchestra della Fondazione Arturo Toscanini, the Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Philharmonic Bratislava, Bulgarian National Orchestra, the Tonkünstler Orchestra Vienna, Orchestra di Santa Cecilia Roma,  Orchestra del Teatro della Fenice, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Latvian National Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Scala di Milano etc.

Mischa Damev has recorded with Decca, as well as participating in numerous radio and television productions for Swiss television and Bulgarian and Russian radio and today is a successful record producer (Musiques Suisses).

In the 2004/2005 season he shared the podium with Georges Prêtre in the production of Carmen at Santa Cecilia in Rome and Pelleas and Melisande at La Scala di Milano. Since 2006 Mischa Damev and composer Jon Lord (of the rock group Deep Purple) have enjoyed a close cooperation on many European stages. Since 2011 Damev conducts regularly in China.

"Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio…still sounds as deep and rich as it did when I last heard it live nearly 30 years ago"

- The Arts Desk