Alexander Velinzon

A native of St. Petersburg, violinist Alexander Velinzon joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in January 2000. He became assistant concertmaster in 2005 and was promoted to associate concertmaster in 2015 and to first associate concertmaster in 2024. Since then, he has played as concertmaster under the direction of Andris Nelsons, Kurt Masur, Sir Colin Davis, Michael Tilson Thomas, and other leading conductors. In addition, he has been invited to play as concertmaster with such orchestras as the London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra, and NDR Radio Philharmonic among others.  An avid chamber musician, Velinzon has been heard in Europe, Japan, and the United States. He made his critically acclaimed debut in London's Wigmore Hall with Soloists of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2010. Velinzon has appeared with the Boston Symphony Chamber Players including their several European tours and performed with the Seattle Chamber Music Society. He has been a member of the LiveARTS String Quartet since 2009. 

Velinzon began playing the violin at the age of 6 and graduated from the Leningrad School for Gifted Children. After coming to the United States, he continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and received bachelor's and master's degrees from the Juilliard School, working under the guidance of the renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. He made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall as a winner of the Artist International Young Artists Auditions. A prizewinner in the Heida Hermann International Competition in the United States and finalist of the Tibor Varga International Competition in Switzerland, he has performed as soloist with the National Symphony of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and in Venezuela. He made his New York soloist debut with the Jupiter Symphony playing Paganini’s Concerto No. 1 and served as soloist and concertmaster for the Paul Taylor Dance Company at New York's City Center. Velinzon's other solo engagements in the United States have included appearances with the Seattle Symphony, Cascade Symphony Orchestra, Rondo Chamber Orchestra, Absolute Ensemble, Chappaqua Symphony, and Metamorphoses Orchestra. He is on the faculty of the Longy School of Music of Bard College and the Tanglewood Music Center.