Vassily Sinaisky, Honorary Conductor of the LNSO, is a world-renowned conductor of opera and symphonic music with extensive experience in the best opera houses and concert halls, as well as a knowledgeable and sought-after conducting professor. One of the most distinguished principal conductors of the LNSO (1975-1987) who has actively contributed to bringing Latvian music to the listeners. He is well known for his expertise in British, Russian, and German symphonic repertoire. Music Director of the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Conductor Emeritus of the BBC Philharmonic, Honorary Conductor of the LNSO and Malmö Symphony Orchestra.

 

During his career, Vassily Sinaisky has led the Moscow Philharmonic, the Russian State Orchestra, the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, he was also Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Bolshoi Theatre (2010-2013), Principal Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. He has worked regularly with the Birmingham, Houston, and São Paulo symphony orchestras, as well as the Helsinki, Seoul, Hong Kong, and New Japan philharmonic orchestras, among many others. Some of his best operatic performances have taken place at the Komische Oper Berlin, Theater an der Wien, Hungarian State Opera, English National Opera.

 

After winning the gold medal at the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in 1973, Sinaisky was invited to work with the best orchestras in Moscow. He also won the recognition of the legendary Kirill Kondrashin and became assistant conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, where he worked until 1976. During a visit to the Dzintari Concert Hall with the orchestra, Vassily Sinaisky came to the attention of Filips Šveiniks, head of the Latvian State Philharmonic. Šveiniks invited Sinaisky to conduct a concert with the LNSO (then the Latvian SSR Philharmonic Orchestra). Thus, on 28 September 1974, Vassily Sinaisky conducted the LNSO for the world premiere of Jānis Ivanovs' Symphony no. 16.

Sinaisky's first concert as Principal Conductor of the LNSO took place on 18 September 1975, when the maestro was only 27 years old. The evening featured premiere of Romualds Kalsons' Poem Fantasy, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with soloist Ilze Graubiņa at the piano, and Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. Sinaisky held this position for 12 years (until 1987).

 

The Maestro's contribution to Latvian music was recognised with the Grand Music Award 1999, bestowed for promoting Latvian music in the 1970s and 1980s.