Yuri Karavaev

Yuri Karavaev graduated in violin from the Mikhail Glinka Minsk State Musical College, and continued his studies at the Belarusian State Academy of Music (Professor V.G.Chernysh’s class). In 2014, he received a degree in opera and symphony conducting from the same Academy (class of Associate Professor Pyotr Vandilovsky).

He took part in masterclasses given by the People’s Artist of the USSR Yury Simonov in Moscow and trained under the People’s Artist of Russia Vladimir Ponkin at the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory. He participated in Howard Griffiths’s masterclasses in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, where he conducted the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt.

In 2011, Yuri Karavaev became an assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the National Television and Radio Company of the Republic of Belarus. During his work with the orchestra of the broadcasting company, he took part as a conductor in various television projects, including the contest "Young Talents of Belarus" (2011), the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, "The Meeting Place" (2012), etc. His other projects included concerts in the studio of the Radio House as part of the broadcasts of the Culture radio channel and recordings of numerous works for the holdings of the Belarusian Radio.

In 2013, he was among the conductors of the finals of 3rd Mikhail Elsky International Competition of Bowed String Instrument Players and was awarded the title of the best conductor of the competition.

The same year, he began to perform regularly as a guest conductor with the State Chamber Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus in the Big Hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society.

In 2014, Yuri Karavaev became the second conductor of the symphony orchestra of the National State TV and Radio Company.

In 2016, he became a staff conductor of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus. During his work with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Belarus, he took part in many significant projects of the orchestra and other ensembles of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Society.

His other highlights include the European tour of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Republic with the programmes "The Music of Hans Zimmer", "The Lord of the Rings", "The Lion King" and "Music from Movies".

Since 2020, the conductor has collaborated with the Classic Energy symphony orchestra.

In March 2022, Yuri Karavaev was appointed conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, where his premieres include The Story of Kai and Gerda (The Snow Queen) by Sergei Banevich (2022), Mozart and Salieri by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (2022), Cinderella by Sergey Prokofiev (2024).

In October 2022, he conducted a guest opera performance the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, King Stakh’s Wild Hunt, on the Historic Stage of the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia.

In October 2024, he conducted the company’s guest performance of King Stakh’s Wild Hunt at the Mariinsky Theatre given as part of the Days of the City of Minsk in St Petersburg.