Grandson of Russian immigrants, Roberto Minczuk was born in Sao Paulo,  Brazil.  At the age of seven, he began studying music with his father.   In 1981, at the age of thirteen, he became Principal Horn of the “Orquestra Sinfonica Municipal de Sao Paulo.” That year, Mr. Minczuk was invited to New York with a full scholarship to study at Juilliard by its President, composer Peter Mennin.

Mr. Minczuk made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1983 as a soloist with the New York Youth Symphony; and in 1984, he performed Mozart’s Horn Concerto No.2 (K.417) with the New York Philharmonic in the Young Peoples’ Concert Series.

 In 1985, Mr. Minczuk won the First Prize at the first Eldorado Music Competition,  sponsored by General Motors of Brazil.  As a result, he recorded Haydn and Mozart horn concertos with the Sao Paulo Chamber Orchestra.

At Juilliard,  he studied the horn with Harry Berv, a member of Toscanini’s horn section in the NBC Symphony,  and  with New York Philharmonic Principal Horn, James Chambers.  After graduation in 1987, Mr. Minczuk became a member of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, where he remained until 1989.

Upon returning to Brazil, he studied conducting with Eleazar De Carvalho and subsequently with John Neschling.

In 1994, Roberto Minczuk was appointed Music Director of the University of Brasilia Orchestra, and in 1995, he became Music Director of The Ribeirao Preto Symphony.  In addition, since 1997, he has been Associate Music Director of the Sao Paulo State Symphony Orchestra, one of the most prestigious ensembles in South America. He appears regularly on national Brazilian television and radio broadcasts.

In November 1997, Roberto Minczuk led Palermo’s “Orchestra Del Teatro Massimo,” as a guest conductor, on a tour of nine concerts throughout Sicily. This season, Mr. Minczuk is conducting productions of Rossini’s  La Cenerentola in Sao Paulo, Donizetti’s L’Elisir D’Amore in Ribeirao Preto, as well as numerous subscription concerts with both orchestras.

In February 1998, Mr. Minczuk conducted in the New York Philharmonic Ensembles Series, with a performance of John Harbison’s Mirabai Songs at Merkin Hall in New York.  This summer, he will conduct the New York Philharmonic at five performances of the Time-Warner Parks Concerts.

At the New York Philharmonic, he has been a proxy for conductors Kurt Masur and Leonard Slatkin;  and next season, he will be covering for Sir Colin Davis, Danielle Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Riccardo Muti,  and Andre Previn as well as Mr. Masur and Mr. Slatkin.

Mr. Minczuk has won many prizes, including the 1997 Revelation of The Year Award, given to the most outstanding young artist by the Performing Arts Critics Association of Sao Paulo. In 1991, he received the Moinho Santista Youth Prize, the most important prize in Brazil, awarded in various disciplines, for extraordinary achievement in a chosen field.