Dimitris Botinis

Greek conductor, he is principal conductor of the North Caucasus Philharmonic Orchestra and assistant conductor to Yuri Simonov at the Moscow Philharmonic. A regular guest conductor with the major Russian orchestras, he also has long-standing relationships with the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra in Gdansk and the Thessaloniki State Symphony Orchestra. In 2018, he conducted the inaugural tour of the Russian National Youth Orchestra, including the orchestra’s Tchaikovsky Hall debut. Born into a family of musicians, he graduated in violin and viola from the Conservatory of Patras. At the age of fourteen, he began studying conducting under the guidance of his father, as well as attending masterclasses under Yuri Simonov in Hungary. He continued his studies with Simonov at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, St Petersburg, graduating “summa cum laude” (2011). He was the winner of the Antonio Pedrotti International Conducting Competition (Italy, 2006), where he was awarded all special prizes and joint second prize overall, as well as the winner of the 1st All-Russian Music Competition (Moscow, 2011).