Alexander Tseitlin
Alexander Michael Tseitlin is a violinist, violist, multi-instrumentalist, conductor, composer, and pedagogue based in Thousand Oaks, just outside of Los Angeles, California. Alexander is an active performer as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. He regularly records and produces within the music and film industries, and directs and conducts orchestras both professional and educational.
Alexander was born and raised in San Diego where his earliest days were filled with music. His mother Irina Tseitlin (a world-renowned concert violinist), was always studying the greatest works of violin literature, and his father Michael Tseitlin (a renowned master teacher) would work with world-class violinists of all ages. After coming home from school, Alexander would practice for hours waiting for his father to finish teaching so that he could begin his own lesson late in the evening. Alexander lived and breathed music throughout his childhood, but his roots reach back to the Bolshoi Theater where his grandfather was the conductor, and to the Bolshoi Ballet Company where his grandmother was the prima ballerina.
During his college years, Alexander spent 3 years at the University of California in Los Angeles studying violin performance with Mark Kaplan, and spent his extra hours studying music and conducting with the composers and conductors on faculty. He then spent time at UCLA’s rival university, the University of Southern California, studying violin performance with Alice Schoenfeld. Following his time in Los Angeles, Alexander Tseitlin toured the east coast studying with prominent performers and composers in New York, Boston, and Rochester with the aim of expanding his pedagogical and musical palette.
As a violinist, Alexander made his orchestral debut at age 9 with Vivaldi’s “Spring” at the Lyceum Theater in San Diego and has since performed throughout the United States as well as Germany, Italy, Austria, Russia, Belgium, South Africa, Mexico, and Portugal. He has and continues to perform much of the concerto and solo repertoire for violin and viola. His chamber music career has lead him to collaborate with prominent artists such as David Chan (concertmaster, Metropolitan Opera), Mark Kaplan, Paul Coletti, and Antonio Lysy, Martin Chalifour (concertmaster, LA Philharmonic), and Robert deMaine (principal cello, LA Philharmonic). He has recorded several albums with independent labels and regularly premiers the solo and chamber works of the composers of today. In his teenage years, Alexander fell in love with the viola and began his journey performing and recording the great repertoire for the instrument.
As a conductor and director, Alexander spent time on the podium with the flagship orchestras at the California Institute of Music in 1999, the International Music Festival in Viana Do Castello, Portugal from 2003 to 2004, and at the CIMF Germany from 2014 to 2016. He is currently the conductor and artistic director of the Fall of Ai Chamber Orchestra based in Los Angeles, CA, the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Conejo Valley Youth Orchestras, and the director of the California Young Artists Symphony.
As a composer and producer, Alexander has composed many classical, contemporary, and modern works. His classical and contemporary compositions include works for choir, orchestra, chamber groups, and soloists. His modern arrangements and compositions have been featured on music albums and films worldwide. Alexander is also currently the artistic director of Fall of Ai Productions, an orchestral music studio which collaborates with prominent contemporary artists and producers, and works closely with many prominent music and film studios.
As a teacher, Alexander was previously on faculty as Professor of Violin and Viola Performance at the California Institute of Music and currently directs his flagship educational institution Eleos Music in Los Angeles with a campus in Thousand Oaks, where he has an accomplished studio of pianists, violinists, violists, cellists, and classical guitarists. His students have won principal positions in prominent orchestras across the Los Angeles area and have continued to study at prominent music departments throughout the US. He has also taught at prominent festivals such as CIMF Germany, IMF Portugal, and the Idyllwild Music Festival. His specialty, aside from technical instrumental training, is helping students find balance in their lives as artists, and consequently his class frequently consists of university and semi-professional students who are looking for guidance with balance and sustainability in their artistic endeavors.
Alexander’s extensive experience with a broad variety of educational institutions has given him the unique skill set to consult in prominent music departments. He has worked as a consultant for the Oak Park School District, Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra, and Camarillo School District, where he has worked to develop their musical programs and their integration into the musical community.
Alexander lives in the Thousand Oaks area with his wife (Rebecca Tseitlin) and three children. Despite his active professional life, he endeavors to prioritize people and experiences before his art. He spends his time outside of work teaching music and academics to his children, ultra running, road cycling, mountaineering, alpine touring, training mixed martial arts, and volunteering his time to charitable organizations in his community.