Thursday, September 19, 2024
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has appointed violinist and Longy faculty member Alexander Velinzon as its new first associate concertmaster, and Boston Pops concertmaster.
As the first associate concertmaster, Velinzon will hold the Helen Horner McIntyre chair, endowed in perpetuity. In this role, he will be the second highest-ranking member of the first violin section, assuming the lead position when the concertmaster is absent.
“We are thrilled to promote Alexander Velinzon to the role of first associate concertmaster,” said BSO music director Andris Nelsons. “Over the past decade that I have had the privilege of working with ‘Sasha,’ the orchestra and I have been delighted to share in his musicality, professionalism, and collegiality, and I look forward to working closely with him and Nathan Cole as our first violin section begins an exciting new chapter this season.”
Alexander Velinzon
Velinzon has been a BSO member since 2000 when he joined under music director Seiji Ozawa. He became the assistant concertmaster of the organization in 2005 and was promoted to associate concertmaster in 2015.
“I’m thrilled to be appointed to this new position by Maestro Nelsons,” said Velinzon. “It has been an absolute honor to make music with him and my extraordinary BSO colleagues for so many years. I’m very much looking forward to many years of collaboration with our new concertmaster Nathan Cole.”
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Alexander Velinzon began playing the violin at age six and graduated from the Leningrad School for Gifted Children. After moving to the United States, he studied with renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at The Juilliard School, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. His success at the Heida Hermanns Competition, Tibor Varga Competition, and Artist International Young Artists Auditions led to his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. On that occasion, The Strad praised him as “very musical and intensely serious.”
Velinzon is a violinist with an international reputation, appearing in recent years with the London Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Germany’s WDR Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and the Pittsburgh Symphony as a guest concertmaster, as well as serving as concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony from 2012 to 2015.
An avid chamber musician, Velinzon has also performed with the Boston Chamber Players and Seattle Chamber Music Society; in Boston, he is a long-standing member of the Walden Chamber Players and a co-founder of the LiveArts string quartet. In New York, he performs frequently with the Jupiter Chamber Players.
In addition to his courses at Longy, Velinzon also teaches at Tanglewood Music Center and has been a University of Washington affiliate professor since 2014.