Alexander Zemtsov is a Russian violist. He began his music studies in his hometown of Ufa, and at ten was enrolled in Moscow's Gnessin Music Lyceum. He also studied at the College for Music and Theater in Hamburg, and worked with Michael Kugel and Tabea Zimmermann. Zemtsov won first prizes at the 1995 International Youth Competition in Moscow, the 1997 Elise Meyer competition in Hamburg, and the 2001 Brahms Competition in Pörtschach. Zemtsov has performed with several European orchestras, including the Belgian Radio Orchestra and the Wiener Musikverein, and he became principal violist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2002. Zemtsov also plays with the Hermitage String Trio and the Razumovsky Ensemble. He teaches viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Vienna Conservatory, and the High School of Music in Lausanne. He has recorded for Naxos and MDG. ~ Blair Sanderson