SEMYON BYCHKOV
Chief Conductor & Music Director – Czech Philharmonic
Music Director (from 1 August 2028); Music Director Designate (from 1 August 2026) – Opéra national de Paris
Otto Klemperer Chair of Conducting – Royal Academy of Music
Günter Wand Conducting Chair – BBC Symphony Orchestra
BIOGRAPHY
Bychkov’s tenure as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic – Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year 2024 – was initiated with concerts in Prague, London, New York, and Washington celebrating the 100th anniversary of Czechoslovak independence. The following year marked the culmination of The Tchaikovsky Project: concerts, residencies and recordings of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies with the Orchestra both at home and on tour. For 2024’s Year of Czech Music, Czech composers were given pride of place and, in addition to recordings of Smetana’s Má vlast – voted by BBC Music Magazine as Orchestral Recording of the Year 2025 – and Dvorak’s Symphonies 7, 8 and 9, Czech music was at the centre of extensive European tours and concerts in the US, including three concerts at Carnegie Hall. This season, as well as subscription concerts in Prague, Bychkov will tour with the Orchestra to Taiwan, Japan. Korea, Austria, Italy, Germany, Luxemburg, Sweden and Finland and, in Spring 2026, PENTATONE will release the complete cycle of Mahler symphonies recorded with the Orchestra over the past 8 seasons.
CONCERT SCHEDULE
July 2026
CLEVELAND, OH USA – THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA – SMETANA, RACHMANINOFF, DVOŘÁK
CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH USA – THE CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA – BRAHMS, SHOSTAKOVICH
September 2026
PRAGUE, CZECHIA – CZECH PHILHARMONIC – SHOSTAKOVICH, DVOŘÁK
PRAGUE, CZECHIA – CZECH PHILHARMONIC – SHOSTAKOVICH, DVOŘÁK
PRAGUE, CZECHIA – CZECH PHILHARMONIC – SHOSTAKOVICH, DVOŘÁK
LEIPZIG, GERMANY – GEWANDHAUS ORCHESTRA – SMETANA, GLANERT, MUSSORGSKY
NEWS
Mahler No. 1-9 on Pentatone
The Czech Philharmonic’s complete Mahler Cycle under Bychkov has been released today. The Mahler symphonies have been central to Bychkov’s programming with the Czech Philharmonic since 2018 when he opened his tenure as Chief Conductor and Music Director with...
Celebrating 130 Years of the Czech Philharmonic
To celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Czech Philharmonic, three special celebration concerts will take place from the 1st to 2nd April under the baton of Chief Conductor and Music Director, Semyon Bychkov. These performances will guide audiences on a journey...
Eugene Onegin to be streamed live from Paris Opera on Monday 9th February
For all those unable to get tickets to Paris Opera's sell-out production of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, conducted by Semyon Bychkov and directed by Ralph Fiennes, the performance on Monday 9th February will be streamed live by France.tv at 19.30 (CET)....
FEATURED VIDEO
FEATURED ALBUM
Mahler: Symphony No. 1-9
Pentatone releases Mahler’s Symphony No. 1-9
The Czech Philharmonic’s complete Mahler Cycle under Bychkov has been released. The Mahler symphonies have been central to Bychkov’s programming with the Czech Philharmonic since 2018 when he opened his tenure as Chief Conductor and Music Director with performances of Mahler Symphony No. 2. Symphonies Nos. 1–5, released by PENTATONE beginning in April 2022, have received universal acclaim.
