Praised for his intense, innovative interpretations, Alexander Zemtsov is one of the most versatile and sought after musicians on the music stage today. He has gained the recognition as a soloist, conductor, professor and chamber musician.
Alexander Zemtsov is a professor at some of Europe's finest Music Universities: Viola Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, a University Professor at the Vienna Konservatorium Privat Universitat, and a Professor the HEMU – Haute École de Musique.
Among his students are members of leading orchestras around the world, as well as winners international competitions and awards. These include the New Zealand Symphony (Principal), the Opera Flensburg (Principal), the Malta Philharmonic (Co-Principal), the Philharmonia Orchestra London, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra London.
Alexander was born in 1978 into a family of musicians. He attended the famous Gnessin Music Lyceum in Moscow for gifted children, where he studied under Prof. E. Ozol. He continued his education with Prof. Michael Kugel at the Hoogeschool Maastricht and completed his postgraduate studies at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin in Prof. Tabea Zimmermann0s class. Since the age of 15, Alexander Zemtsov has performed extensively as a solo violist with numerous renowned orchestras in Europe, the USA, Asia, and Australia. Among others, he regularly performs as soloist with conductors such as Alexander Vedernikov, Vladimir Jurowski and Neeme Järvi. His mastery and artistry have been widely recognised internationally, bringing him numerous prizes and awards, including First Prize at the International Competition "Classical Legacy" in Moscow (1995), at the Elise Meyer Competition in Hamburg (1997) and the 8th Brahms Competition in Pörtschach, Austria (2001).
At the age of 23, Alexander Zemtsov was appointed Principal Viola of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2011, after nine years with LPO, he left the position to dedicate himself entirely to his demanding career as a soloist and chamber musician.
A devoted chamber musician he has performed in prestigious venues with partners such as Dmitri Sitkovetsky, Gerhard Schulz, Peter Donohoe and Patrick Gallois. From 2010 to 2012, Alexander Zemtsov recorded Mozart and Fauré Piano Quartets with the Hermitage String Trio and Kathryn Stott for Chandos.
He also recorded the complete Brahms and Mahler piano quartets with Anton Barakhovsky, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, and Eldar Nebolsin for Naxos, due for release in 2014. He regularly records for the Naxos, LPO Live and Chandos labels.
"…impassioned and technically immaculate playing…" Classicalsource
"…played with furious dexterity…" Guardian
"…in the same league as Bashmet…amazing emotional depth…" Britten CD Review
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