Vasily Petrenko studied at the St Petersburg Conservatoire and has participated in masterclasses with such major figures as Ilya Musin, Mariss Jansons, and Yuri Temirkanov. Following considerable success in a number of international conducting competitions including the Fourth Prokofiev Conducting Competition in St Petersburg (2003), first prize in the Shostakovich Choral Conducting Competition in St Petersburg (1997), and first prize in the Sixth Cadaques International Conducting Competition in Spain, he was appointed chief conductor of the St Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra from 2004 to 2007. The 2015/16 season marks his appointment as chief conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra. Petrenko has worked with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia, Russian National Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, Czech Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Finnish Radio Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, NHK Symphony Tokyo, Sydney Symphony and Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. Highlights of the 2015/16 season and beyond include Petrenko’s first summer tour with the EUYO as Chief Conductor and a U.K. Tour with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. This summer, Petrenko appears at the Ravinia Festival and the Aspen Music Festival and School.