A L E X A N D E R V A V I L O V V I O L I S T
Alexander’s playing has been hailed as “outgoing and propulsive” by the Boston Musical Intelligencer and “exuberant” and “expressive” by the Boston Arts Diary. Alexander performs regularly with some of the leading groups in the area, such as Boston Pops, Boston Ballet, Odyssey Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Festival Orchestra, Radius Ensemble, Portland Symphony Orchestra and others at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, Shalin Liu Performance Center, and Jordan Hall.
In 2009 Alex was the Borromeo String Quartet Guest Artist Award winner. He was also a finalist at the 2007 Atlantic Symphony Concerto Competition, also a finalist at the 2004 ASTA National Solo Competition, and the 1st prize winner at the 2003 ASTA with MSOA solo competition.
Alex performed chamber music with the Borromeo Quartet, Marcus Thompson, James Buswell, Barbara Westphal, and Ronald Leonard and recorded for the BMOP/Sound and Carl Fischer labels.
Photo by Tatiana Daubek
Love for finding new ways to connect people through art led Alex on a path of exploration. Inspired by the idea of building community with chamber music, in 2014 Alex co-founded Sheffield Chamber Players, a group which performs over 30 concerts a year in intimate settings, such as private homes. Alex served as the group’s executive director until 2021 and in addition to being the group's violist is currently serving as host relations coordinator and co-artistic director.
More recently, in 2022 Alexander founded an interdisciplinary group Soundscape Visions, which creates immersive live audio-visual performances.
Originally from Ukraine, Alex could not stay idle in the face of the Russian invasion of his homeland. Together with the Lisa Batiashvili Foundation in the Spring of 2022 Alex initiated the Relief Fund for Ukrainian Musicians. During the course of its operation the fund provided urgent financial support to 223 musicians from Mariupol, Kharkiv, Bakhmut, and other Ukrainian cities, which have suffered the greatest devastation.
Photo by Spencer Hasak
In the United States Alexander studied at the Boston Conservatory with Patricia McCarty and New England Conservatory with Kim Kashkashian. Additional studies with Joseph Silverstein, James Buswell, Roger Tapping, James Dunham, Misha Amory, and Robert Vernon. Alexander maintains a private studio and is on faculty at Winchester Community Music School, where he enjoys passing on his knowledge and experience to the younger generation. When he is not busy performing or teaching, Alex enjoys inline skating, sourdough bread baking, and mushroom foraging.
Alexander plays a 2012 viola by Thomas Bertrand.
Photo by Deborah J Karson