Biography
Maxim Emelyanychev inspires a true spirit of adventure among his collaborators, shaping performances that pulse with shared energy, spontaneity, and imagination. Renowned for his infectious enthusiasm, he brings out the individuality of each musician while forging a distinctive and compelling collective sound.
Since 2019, Maxim has served as Principal Conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He is also Chief Conductor of the period-instrument ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro and, from the 2025/26 season, has taken up the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
His relationship with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra began dramatically in 2018, when a last-minute invitation to step in as conductor resulted in an immediate and unanimous appointment as Principal Conductor, effective from the 2019/20 season. On the very first day of his mandate, his contract was extended through 2025. It has since been further renewed until 2028.
With the SCO, Maxim has appeared at the BBC Proms, toured extensively across Europe, and recorded symphonies by Schubert and Mendelssohn for Linn Records. At the Edinburgh International Festival, he has led widely acclaimed concert performances of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Così fan tutte in recent seasons.
Following his debut with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2022, Maxim was appointed Principal Guest Conductor for an initial three-year term beginning in the 2025/26 season.
Maxim leads Il Pomo d’Oro from the harpsichord. Since his appointment as Principal Conductor in 2013, he has undertaken numerous international concert tours and recordings with the ensemble, including high-profile collaborations with artists such as mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato and counter-tenor Jakub Józef Orliński. Emelyanychev and Il Pomo d’Oro have recently undertaken the complete Mozart Symphonies recording for Aparté. In February 2027 they will tour the United States in Purcell Dido & Aeneas with Joyce DiDonato and Michael Spyres, which they have recorded together for Erato.
As a guest conductor, Emelyanychev enjoys working equally with chamber and symphonic orchestras. His collaborations include the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestre de chambre de Paris, and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. In recent seasons, he has also conducted leading symphonic ensembles such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Rotterdam Philharmonic, WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, Radio-France Orchestre Philharmonique, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic and Tokyo Yomiuri Symphony.
The season 2026/27 will see Maxim make his debut with Chicago Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dresden Staatskapelle, Czech Philharmonic, Tokyo NHK, Vienna Symphony and Les Siècles. He will return to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, hr-Frankfurt Symphony, Munich Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, Bergen Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic and Deutsches sinfonieorchester Berlin.
