
Alexander Velinzon
Associate Concertmaster
BSO: Robert L. Beal, Enid L., and Bruce A. Beal chair, endowed in perpetuity; BPO: Edward and Bertha C. Rose chair, endowed in perpetuity
A native of St. Petersburg, violinist Alexander Velinzon joined
the Boston Symphony Orchestra in January 2000, became assistant
concertmaster in 2005, and was promoted to associate concertmaster
in 2015. Since then he has played as concertmaster under the
direction of James Levine, 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. An active
performer of chamber music, Mr. Velinzon is a member of the
Boston-based Walden Chamber Players and has appeared with the
Boston Symphony Chamber Players. He has been seen playing chamber
music in Europe, Japan, and the United States, and since 2009 has
been a member of the LiveArts string quartet.
Mr. Velinzon began playing the violin at the age of six 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, after which Strad
Magazine described his playing as "very musical and intensely
serious." A prizewinner in the Heida Hermann International
Competition in the United States and 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; made his New York debut with the Jupiter Symphony
playing a Paganini concerto, and served as soloist/concertmaster
for the Paul Taylor Dance Company at New York's City Center.
Mr.Velinzon's other solo engagements in the United States have
included appearances with the Rondo Chamber Orchestra, Absolute
Ensemble, Chappaqua Symphony, and the Metamorphoses Orchestra.