Mikhail Agrest

Conductor

German based Russian-American conductor Mikhail Agrest has acquired a considerable body of operatic, ballet and symphonic repertoire. On the international stage, he has been invited to conduct at world’s top orchestras and opera houses, including Royal Opera House Covent Garden; English, Finnish and Swedish National Operas; Opera Australia, Teatro Massimo Palermo, Teatro di San Carlo Napoli and Scottish National Opera. Mikhail Agrest has conducted concerts with Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Staatskapelle Dresden, Danish National Orchestra; London, St. Petersburg, Dresden, Netherlands, Helsinki, Stockholm, Taiwan, Seoul and Bremen Philharmonic Orchestras; Seattle, Vancouver, Houston, BBC Orchestras and Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra among others. He began studying violin in his native St. Petersburg and upon immigrating to the USA, he received a degree in violin performance from Indiana University (Bloomington), studying with Josef Gingold. Following his true passion in music, he returned to Russia to study conducting with legendary Ilya Musin and he was the last student of late Mariss Jansons at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He honed his craft at the Mariinsky Theatre from 2001 till 2014, when he was forced to leave the theater. His pro-Ukranian position after the Russian annexation of Crimea from Ukraine was not tolerated. In the 2022-23 season Maestro Agrest is focusing on the Ukrainian Symphonic Music. Alexei Ratmanskys ballet Tchaikovsky Overtures marked is debut with the Bayerisches Staatsballett.

(Information as of 2022)