Dimitris Botinis was born in Moscow into the family of the famous Greek conductor Dimitris Botinis Senior, who gave the his son his first conducting lessons. He graduated from the Municipal Conservatoire in Patras as a violinist. He studied conducting under Professor Yuri Simonov at his master courses in Hungary and subsequently at the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, from which he graduated with distinction in 2011.

Dimitris was a winner of the Antonio Pedrotti International Conducting Competition (Italy, 2006), where he was collected all the special prizes, and of the first Russian Competition of Opera and Symphony Conducting (Moscow, 2011).

Since March 2021, he has been a conductor with the Moscow Philharmonic that previously employed him as an assistant to Yuri Simonov (then Artistic Director and Chief Conductor). Since 2015, he has also been Chief Conductor of the V. I. Safonov Academic Symphony Orchestra of the North Caucasus Philharmonic Society, where, besides symphonic programmes, he has also been involved in concert performances of operas.

Mr. Botinis collaborates with leading Russian ensembles including Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, Russian National Orchestra, Novaya Rossiya State Symphony Orchestra, Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Ural Academic Philharmonic Orchestra, State Symphony Orchestra of Tatarstan, State Philharmonic Orchestra of the Russian Federation, and Novosibirsk Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2012, he made his debut with the Mariinsky Orchestra and began collaborating with the St Petersburg House of Music. He took part in Musical Olympus Festival in 2011-2016.

In November 2014, he conducted the first (“test”) symphony concert at the Rachmaninoff Concert Hall (Philharmonia-2), while in January 2017 he conducted the orchestra at the hall’s official grand opening, performing Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto with Denis Matsuev at the piano.

Dimitris has toured to Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Estonia, South Korea and Cyprus. In 2017, he recorded works by Russian composers with the Bamberger Symphoniker.

Highlights of his career include appearances with renowned orchestras of Greece, such as National Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television and State Symphony Orchestras of Athens and Thessaloniki. He participated at the International Festival of Patras in 2010 and 2011, made his debut at the Athens Concert Hall in 2013, and appeared at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre of Greece in 2019.

In autumn 2018, he became the first conductor to stand at the console of the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, with which he gave several concerts in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod and cities in Siberia. In September 2019, he performed at the Stars on Baikal Festival in Irkutsk. The 2021/22 season sees his debut with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse (France).

In 2021, he was awarded the Presidential Prize for Young Culture Professionals of the Russian Federation for his contribution to the establishment of traditions in the Russian musical art and education.

Dimitris Botinis talks about the orchestra, audience and results