Alexander Velinzon is the Assistant Concertmaster of the BSO and Boston Pops. A native of St. Petersburg, he began playing the violin at six and graduated from the Leningrad School for Gifted Children. After coming to the US, he continued his studies at the Manhattan School of Music and received his master’s degree from Juilliard. Mr. Velinson’s appearances as soloist with orchestra have included the Rondo Chamber Orchestra; the Absolute Ensemble, the Metamorphoses Orchestra, and Chappaqua Symphony; and the National Symphony of Santo Domingo. He has also been heard playing violin concertos of J.S. Bach for the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Mr. Velinzon was a prizewinner in the Heida Hermann International Competition in the United States and in the Tibor Varga International Competition in Switzerland. He made his New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as winner of the Artist International 1996 Young Artists Auditions.