In 1965 he graduated from the Magnitogorsk Music College. In 1970 he completed his studies at the Gnesin State Musical‑Pedagogical Institute (now the Gnesin Russian Academy of Music) in the class of V. S. Popov.
After graduating, G. A. Dmitryak undertook an assistantship‑internship with the distinguished choral conductor A. A. Yurlov. Gennady Alexandrovich witnessed his teacher’s intense creative life: daily attendance at rehearsals of the Republican Choral Capella, work with its singers, trips to the All‑Russian Choral Society, of which A. A. Yurlov was chairman, and lessons in the master’s conducting class filled each of G. A. Dmitryak’s days with vivid, unforgettable impressions and formed an integral part of the «Yurlov school».
On completing his assistantship, Gennady Alexandrovich entered the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory to study symphonic and operatic conducting, where he was taught by K. P. Kondrashin and L. M. Ginzburg, and then undertook further training with G. N. Rozhdestvensky at the Moscow State Academic Chamber Musical Theatre, gaining practical experience as a symphony‑orchestra conductor.
His work in the opera theatre greatly broadened G. A. Dmitryak’s artistic horizons and enriched him as a musician. During a working trip to Cuba he founded a chamber orchestra and conducted productions at the García Lorca Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Havana (1981–1985).
From 1986 to 1991 Gennady Alexandrovich worked as a conductor with two of Russia’s leading ensembles: the Moscow Academic Chamber Choir under V. N. Minin and the State Academic Russian Choir of the USSR.
G. A. Dmitryak gained wide recognition as the founder and artistic director of the Cappella of the Moscow Kremlin Museums (1994). His temperament, innate musicality, artistry and industry were revealed most vividly in his work with this ensemble. The Cappella has travelled an extensive artistic path, giving hundreds of concerts in the Armoury Chamber and the Patriarch’s Palace and in Russia’s finest concert halls, and has been acclaimed by audiences in many countries.
A hallmark of the ensemble’s work has been the creation of special programmes linked to the history of Russia, as well as programmes dedicated to the major feasts of the Christian calendar.
The Cappella has also turned to the legacy of great European composers such as G. F. Handel, W. A. Mozart, G. Rossini, F. Schubert and others. A significant place in its programmes is given to the music of contemporary Russian composers G. V. Sviridov, R. K. Shchedrin, A. L. Larin, V. Yu. Kalistratov and V. I. Martynov, as well as to Russian folk song.
Since 2004 G. A. Dmitryak has been Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the A. A. Yurlov State Academic Choral Cappella of Russia. He regards the continuation of his teacher’s work and the legacy of this great musician as the central mission of his artistic life.
At the department G. A. Dmitryak teaches conducting. His classes are marked by a high level of emotional engagement, strong artistic focus and a deeply collaborative creative process between teacher and student.
In 2018 he was awarded the honorary title of «People’s Artist of the Russian Federation».
