Through his life and professional career, Dmitrii Russu conducted versatile types of orchestras in numerous countries. He is a rare example of a conductor who works with symphony, chamber and brass orchestras as well as with the choir. As he believes all music to be one language to the human soul, he made it his mission to not be bound by one country or culture. This path and mind perspective is the one that has brought him to learn, immerse himself, and currently conduct Chinese classical, as well as world music for the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra in New York, a company which in itself is unique in combining classical western  and traditional Chinese instruments in one repertoire. Not only that, but the company unites people of various cultures and countries under one roof. This view is one that is very parallel to the one of Dmitrii’s inner world and the one that has brought him over to the US, the one country in the world where diverse cultures are able to strive and create their own parallel universes.   

 

For Dmitrii there is simply no other way of existence. As he becomes acquainted and familiar with a certain genre/type of orchestra, he immediately feels the need to progress and advance in another style of music. He is not able to sit still, since he considers this a regression which goes against his very existence. 

 

“The world forces people to divide and music seems to be the only remedy to cure this! It is a remedy for the human soul.” This is Dmitrii’s manifesto and one he lives by from the time he began studying and performing music. 

 

Dmitrii Russu was born on November 9th, 1981 to a family of musicians in Chisinau, Moldova. Dmitrii’s father and mother were both widely acknowledged renowned composers. His parents recognized his musical talents early on, as even at the tender age of 4, Dmitrii was able to recreate complex melodies by voice and piano, without yet having any formal education. Year later he joined the Chisinau Musical Orchestral Studio for Children. 

 

In 1988, Dmitrii’s parents made the decision to move to Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), USSR, so that he could have the best chance at a musical career and education. Shortly after, at age 6, Dmitrii was accepted, as one of the twenty five students out of hundreds who auditioned from all over the Soviet Union, to the prestigious Glinka Choral College in Saint Petersburg. Even at that young age, Dmitrii toured internationally with the Glinka College Boys Choir, contributed to recordings, and was under the direction of world known conductors. During his teenage years, Dmitrii intensely studied piano, oboe, and musicology. 

 

After completing the Glinka Choral College in 1999, Dmitrii continued his education at the Saint Petersburg State Conservatory named after N.A. Rimski-Korsakov, where he majored in Choral Conducting (graduated with honors; MA degree obtained in 2005)  as well as Orchestral Conducting (graduated with honors; MA degree obtained in 2012). 

Even early on, during his education, Dmitrii decided not to be confined musically by a country, culture, or genre. This mindset led him on a musical journey all over the world, beginning with Barents International Chamber Choir based in Sweden, where he sang from 2003-2005. The challenge of musically transforming to adapt to a foreign culture inspired Dmitrii and led him to pursue other international work. It also prompted Dmitrii to bring foreign contemporary and classical composer works to Russia, as well as bring Russia’s composer works to the world.  He has been the guest conductor for over a dozen various orchestras and performed with a long A-list of internationally known soloists. Before joining Shen Yun Performing Arts in New York, Dmitrii Russu was assistant conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor of the Ulyanovsk Symphony Orchestra, and, as mentioned above, a guest conductor of orchestras throughout the Russian Federation and beyond. He conducted for orchestras in countries like South Korea and the US, and has toured all over the world. His debut in the United States with the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra in 2019 included appearances at celebrated venues like Carnegie Hall in New York, Boston Symphony Hall and Chicago Symphony Hall, Music Center in Strathmore (Washington, D.C.), Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto etc. 

 

Dmitrii Russu is also a music historian. In 2021 he published his book "Russian Horn music in Its Past and Present" (Saint Petersburg: Lan: The Planet of Music, 2021), which analyzed the phenomenon of Russian horn music and brass period instruments. This musical direction was born in the middle of the 18th century, existed for about a decade and was revived again at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, both in Russia and Germany. The book dives into the history of horn music, as well as into the specifics of conducting a horn orchestra. 

Dmitrii is the first prize winner of the 2013 Ilya Musin National Conducting Competition of Russia. He pushes the boundaries of the classical world and brings his own take on repertoire to any ensemble. For a full list of awards and other information please refer to the resume.