Alexander Volkov

A native of Athens, Greece, Russian violinist Alexander Volkov joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2020.

Volkov studied with Professor Atis Bankas and Peter Seminovs at the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy for Young Artists as well as the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, Ontario. He was a recipient of the Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Scholarships, receiving a full scholarship for his degree.

During the pursuit of his degree in violin performance, Volkov participated in a variety of festivals, competitions, and training programs. He won first prizes in the Kiwanis, Leons, and North York festivals and was a three-time first prize winner of the Canadian Music Competition, winning the grand prize in 2013. The following year, he won the Glenn Gould Concerto Competition where he performed the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Royal Conservatory Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Leon Fleisher. He also frequently performed as a soloist with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony, the York Symphony, the Aurora Chamber Ensemble, and the Sherbrooke Symphony Orchestra.

Volkov participated in prestigious orchestra training festivals such as the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, twice at the Leonard Bernstein’s Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival in Germany, and three times at the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan. These training programs led him to perform as a fellow in the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Most notably, he trained at the Institute for Orchestral Studies at the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, Canada.

Prior to joining the symphony, Volkov held section violin positions at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and the Canada and Quebec symphony orchestras in Quebec City, Montréal. He was also a frequent substitute violinist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He owes his achievements to his parents, who are graduates of the Moscow Conservatory and have extensive musical backgrounds.