Background
His father, Alexander Filipovich Vedernikov (Ведерников, Александр Филиппович), was a bass at the Bolshoi Theatre, and his mother was a professor of organ at the Moscow Conservatory.
His father, Alexander Filipovich Vedernikov (Ведерников, Александр Филиппович), was a bass at the Bolshoi Theatre, and his mother was a professor of organ at the Moscow Conservatory.
He studied at the Moscow Conservatory under Mark Ermler, and on graduation became director of the Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Academic Music Theatre 1988-1991.
Then he was assistant to Vladimir Fedoseyev at the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio. Vedernikov is best known as director of the Bolshoi Theatre from 2001 to 2009 during a controversial and difficult tenure, ending after disagreements with the management. He debuted at Covent Garden"s Royal Opera House in 1997.