Biography
Alexandra Simpson has traveled the world as a performer and educator: from Bucaramanga, Colombia to Cornwall, England. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area, freelancing as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player- beginning fall 2022, she serves as the Assistant Principal Violist of the California Symphony.
Alexandra has appeared as a soloist with Sacramento's Camellia Symphony Orchestra, Marin Symphony, SFCM New Music Ensemble, and Classical Music Institute Chamber Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Alexandra travels frequently to festivals to perform, learn, and teach. Alexandra has participated in the Prussia Cove International Musicians’ Seminar, Kneisel Hall, Glenn Douglas Memorial Chamber Festival, Bard Music Colombia, Musikiwest Chamberfest in Pebble Beach, and Classical Music Institute in San Antonio, Texas. As an orchestra musician, she has subbed with San Francisco Symphony and served as Principal Violist for OPERA San Antonio, Stockton Symphony, One Found Sound, and Merced Symphony.
Alexandra performs regularly in the Bay Area, and has given chamber music concerts at Berkeley Piano Club, Piedmont Center for the Arts, Strings in Emeryville, and with Benicia Chamber Players. She accompanied international superstar DJ Kygo at the closing act of Outside Lands in 2019, and in 2022 at BottleRock in Napa. She has appeared in music videos for Chuck Prophet and Mercury Soul, and appeared in Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's keynote for the 2020 Build Conference, as well as advertisements for Microsoft Teams. Alexandra also joined the Trans-Siberian Orchestra for the Northern California portion of their 2021 Christmas and Other Stories Tour, and performed at The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience.
Alexandra earned her Bachelor of Music studying with renowned and Grammy-winning violist Kim Kashkashian at New England Conservatory, with the Donald Green and Lotta Crabtree Scholarships. She received both a Master of Music and Master of Musical Arts from Yale School of Music. While at Yale, Alexandra taught New Haven schoolchildren through the Yale Music in Schools initiative and developed a passion for teaching in underserved communities. Festivals such as Classical Music Institute and Bard Music Colombia have allowed her to develop this passion all over the world. In addition to teaching privately, she also teaches in the underserved city of Richmond at East Bay Center for Performing Arts.
While studying chamber music at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she received coachings and lessons from world-class musicians, including Dimitri Murrath, Ian Swensen, Bonnie Hampton and the Telegraph Quartet. She had the opportunity to receive masterclasses from Kim Kashkashian, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Milena Pajaro-van-de-Stadt, and participate in residency performances with Tessa Lark, Owen Dalby, Norman Fisher, and Itamar Zorman.
