Vladimir Fedoseyev was born in St. Petersburg, studied in Moscow and is well known around the world for his unmistakable interpretations. In 1971 he was invited by Yevgeny Mravinsky to conduct the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, which was soon followed by his debut at the Mariinsky Theatre. In 1974 he became chief conductor of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, (today: Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra). From 1997 to 2004 he was chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. As guest conductor he has worked with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the orchestra of Bavarian State Opera, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, the Berlin Philharmonic and many other orchestras. He is principal guest conductor of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra. Performances of the operas of Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Janáček and Shostakovich number among his finest, and he has conducted them at Vienna State Opera, La Scala Milan, in Zurich and at the Bregenz Festival. His discography includes works by many Russian composers, Mendelssohn, Mahler and a complete recording of Brahms's symphonies. He has been awarded several decorations, among them the highest Russian order for "Services to the Motherland", the Golden Star of the City of Vienna, the Gold Medal of the International Gustav Mahler Society, and the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st Class. His tour with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra last year, which concluded with concerts in the Vienna Musikverein, was judged a triumphant success. In 2010 – its 80th anniversary year – the orchestra will give a concert performance of Rachmaninov's Francesca da Rimini in Luxemburg and Vienna. At Zurich Opera house Fedoseyev will conduct performances of Swan Lake, Eugene Onegin and a new production of Dvořák's Rusalka.