Peter Feranec

Musical Director

Peter Feranec: St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra – Chief Conductor and Music Director Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice - Chief Conductor and Music Director

Peter Feranec was born in 1964 in Bratislava - former Czechoslovakia In 1985 after graduating from the Bratislava Academy of Music, he attended the Bartok International Festival and Seminar (1985-1987) with Professor P. Eotvos and conducted contemporary music. The same year, he began five years studies, a scholarship from the Russian Ministry of Culture, at the State Conservatory in St.Petersburg (former Leningrad) under M. Jansons (graduated in 1990).

After completing his postgraduate studies in Vienna in 1991 by Prof. K. Oesterreicher, Peter was selected as a conductor of the Slovak National Opera House in Bratislava. He was 25 and finalist of International Competition in Tokyo (1991) and Budapest (1992) and gold medalist of the 1992 Forum of Young Artists competition in Vienna. Since 1993 Peter conducted several opera productions at the Vienna Chamber Opera as a principal conductor, led Mozart operas Le Nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni at the Vienna Festival Mozart in Schonbrunn in 1992 and 1993.

Peter made his debut as conductor at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in February 1995, leading an original-language production of Le Nozze di Figaro (with Prof. J. Herz as stage-director). This epochmaking production for the Bolshoi, which is in the midst of revolutionary changes reflecting the new democratic Russia, featured foreign guest artist and attracted widespread attention from the international music community. Peter' s role in this production led to his appointment as Lazarev`s successor, making him the first foreign-born principal conductor (and also the youngest one).

Already the first year in this position brought two very successful tours, in USA (18 concerts with Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra) and in Europe (23 concerts), tour in Japan (E. Onegin, B. Godunov, Prince Igor).

At the Bolshoi he led various new productions: Lucia di Lammermoor, La Boheme, La Traviata (Season 1995/ 96), Pique Dame, Aida (1996/ 97), Love for three Oranges (1997/ 98) with Sir Peter Ustinov as stage-director and other 18 operatic tittles from Bolshoi repertoire.

In 1997 he made another successful tour in USA (25 concerts included Carnegie Hall) and in UAE with Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra and the operatic tour in Austria - Graz with B. Godunov, Pique Dame and Eugene Onegin.

From 1997 to 2000 Peter was Principal guest conductor of St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra; guest conductor of London Philharmonia, Orchestra du Capitol Toulouse, Zürich Opera House, Tonkuenstlerorchester Vienna, Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Phil., Czech Philharmonics, Oslo Philh., Moscow Symph. Orchestra, Nuernberger Symphoniker, Janacek Philh. Orch. Ostrava, Lisabon Symphony Orchestra, Gulbenkian Orchestra Lisabon, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra,

Orquestra de Sao Paulo, SWDR Orchestra, Guerzenich Orchestra Cologne, Kosice Philh., a large number of chamber orchestras, opera houses in Prague (State Opera, National Theatre), Bolshoi Moscow, Kirov St. Petersburg, Cologne, Berlin (Deutsche Oper, Komische Oper), Zürich, Rostock, Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, Norske Opera Oslo, Opera Toulouse, Teatro filarmonico Verona, Opera House Leipzig and others.
From the season 2001 - 2002 was appointed as chief conductor at the Slovak National Theatre in Bratislava, principal guest conductor of Czech National Theatre Prague.

In 2003 debut at Zurich Opera House, London Philharmonia, Niederosterreich. Tonkunstlerorchester, Teatro Carlo Felice in Genova.

In the season 2004 - 2005 debut at Frankfurt Opera House, Seoul Radio Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Baden-Baden Opernhaus.

In 2005 - 2006 season debut at Opera House Ljubljana, Ludwigshaven Opera House, Royal Opera Stockholm, tour with National Theatre Prague to Japan.

For 2006 - 2007 season Peter appeared with Berlin Symphony Orchestra, conducted new openings at Zürich Opera House (Don Quichote), Stockholm (Traviata), at Ljubljana Opera House (Don Quichote) as well as at State Opera House Prague (Idomeneo), tours with Slovak Philharmony to Germany, tour with Zurich Ballet to Athen as well as many symphonic concerts with Slovak Philharmony Orch., Radio Orchestra Prague, BSO Berlin, Orchestra of Ludwigshafen, Opera House Copenhagen.

At 2007 - 2008 season new concerts with Munich Philharmony Orchestra, Czech Radio, Slovak Philharmony, Danisch Royal Opera House in Copenhagen (Don Giovanni), Estonian National Philharmonia Tallin (Dvorak - Requiem), Moscow Radio Orchestra (Smetana - My Country), Thessaloniki Symphony Orchestra, Czech National Opera House in Prague (new production of Falstaff), Slovenian National Opera Ljubljana (New production of Carmen, Samson and Dalila) and debut at the Bavarian State Opera House (E.Onegin, Un Ballo in Maschera), tours with Slovak Philharmony to Germany as well as tour to Japan with Czech National Opera.

At 2008 - 2009 season are planned new productions of La Traviata and Macbeth at Bavarian State Opera in Munich, concerts with Israel Syphony orchestra, Athen Philharmonics, Slovak Philharmonics, Slovenian National Opera (new production od Prince Igor), Zurich Opera House (Don Quichotte) and Bolshoi Theatre Moscow (Tosca, Turandot).

From season 2009 - 2010 Peter was appointed as a new chief conductor and music director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. His first season in this position broght 3 new succesfull productions of Rusalka, La Juive and Ballo in Maschera. Season 2011 - 2012 Peter'll prepare Kata Kabanova, Carmen and Life with an idiot at Mikhailovsky Theatre, Boris Godunov in Santiago de Chile and will conduct concerts in odense, Vienna, Vilnius, Prague and Trondheim, Tokyo and Osaka.