Yaroslav Shemet holds the positions of Artistic Director at the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice and General Music Director at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. From 2020 to 2022 he served as the first guest conductor of the Neue Philharmonie Hamburg. Throughout the 2020/2021 season he distinguished himself as the Chief Conductor of the Lviv International Symphony Orchestra, INSO. Following his graduation, Mr Shemet became the youngest academic teacher at the Department of Conducting at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań. Currently, he teaches at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk. He has garnered nominations for prestigious Polish awards such as Paszporty Polityki and Fryderyki.
Mr Shemet's journey as a conductor commenced at the age of 13. He has conducted across venues in Germany, Austria, Sweden, Czech Republic, China, Poland, and Ukraine, showcasing his talent with orchestras such as the Prague Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonie der Nationen, Staatstheater Braunschweig, Sinfonia Varsovia, Sinfonia Iuventus, NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic, Baltic State Philharmonic, and Poznań Philharmonic, among others. His performances took him to such venues as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Shanghai Grand Theatre, Konserthuset Stockholm, Lviv National Philharmonic, and the Harbin Opera House, as well as the festivals in Bayreuth, Munich, and Hong Kong. Noteworthy collaborations include partnerships with esteemed soloists such as Sonya Yoncheva, Tomasz Konieczny, and Roman Simović.
In the realm of opera, Mr Shemet made his debut in 2018 with a production of Georges Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers at the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk. Six years later, he assumed the role of General Music Director at the same venue, leading new productions of Verdi’s Rigoletto, Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, Szymanowski’s King Roger, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Bizet’s Carmen, and conducted several other performances, including Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, Honegger’s Judith, and Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. In 2024 he will make his debut at the Polish National Opera, conducting a new production of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte. His contributions extend to his roles as guest conductor at the National Opera in Odesa and the Silesian Opera in Bytom (Poland), where he directed performances such as Mozart’s La finta giardinera and Puccini’s La Rondine.
Yaroslav Shemet's musical journey commenced at the age of three. After completing primary music education, which encompassed vocal, piano, and clarinet training, he received an invitation to pursue conducting studies at the Kharkiv Conservatory. During his studies, he received awards in numerous international competitions, including those held in Milano and Theodosia.
Embarking on his studies at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań at the age of 17, under the tutelage of Prof Warcisław Kunc, he founded the Musique Moderne Orchestra, dedicated to contemporary music. Additionally, he initiated and was the Artistic Director of the Polish Symphony Orchestra project that brought together the best musicians in Poland. Between 2018 and 2019 he was the assistant conductor of Oksana Lyniv, the artistic director of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine. He also studied at the Universität für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna under Prof Johannes Wildner. At the age of 22, he graduated magna cum laude from the Academy of Music in Poznań, marking the inception of his career as an academic teacher.
Mr Shemet's repertoire transcends traditional orchestral and operatic works, encompassing a diverse array of contemporary compositions. With over 60 world premieres to his credit, he exhibits a penchant for innovation. His collaborations extend to the realm of jazz, exemplified by his performance alongside the Lars Danielsson Group and the INSO-Lviv orchestra at the Leopolis Jazz Fest in Lviv. Beyond his artistic endeavors, Mr Shemet conducts masterclasses for aspiring conductors in Poznań, Lviv, and Kharkiv. He was also a jury member at the International Grzegorz Fitelberg Conducting Competition in Katowice and at the International Polish Music Competition in Rzeszów.
