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The English violinist, Alexandra Wood, began playing at 3 years old, gaining 140 marks for her grade VIII Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examination at the age of 10. She gave her first concerto performance at 13, joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain in the same year which she went on to lead in her mid teens. In 2000, she graduated with a starred double first with distinction from Selwyn College, Cambridge, before going on to the Royal College of Music in London, where she was President Emerita Scholar and studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky. Upon graduation she was awarded the Mills Williams and Phoebe Benham Junior fellowships. She has won major prizes at international violin competitions, including the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition, Tibor Varga, Rodolfo Lipizer and Yampolsky. She was the winner of the Worshipful Company of Musicians Medal in 2000.
As a concerto soloist she has performed with the City of London Sinfonia, Philharmonia Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) and has given the premieres of concertos written specially for her by Hugh Wood (2009) and Charlotte Bray (2010). The latter concerto "Caught in Treetops" premiered in 2011 at the Aldeburgh Festival. Leader and creative director of City of London Sinfonia (since 2013) and leader of Aurora Orchestra she regularly guest-leads other ensembles, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BCMG, London Sinfonietta and London Mozart Players and has collaborated with chamber groups such as The Schubert Ensemble, Endymion and Callino Quartet. She is a frequent duo partner with Huw Watkins whom she met at university. She is a member of Contemporary Consort; a small ensemble that specialises in British music dating from 1900 to the present.
Following concerto performances with top orchestras, and with leading conductors, Alexandra Wood's reputation as a versatile, exciting violinist continues to grow. Renowned for her full, rich sound, her energetic and dynamic performances, and her communication with the audience, she has won numerous awards and prizes. She regularly appears, as a recitalist and chamber musician, at major music festivals and in prestigious venues.
Her discography includes "Chimera" - a disc of contemporary works with pianist Huw Watkins (released in 2009) - as well as solo works by Oliver Knussen and Charlotte Bray for NMC.
Alexandra Wood plays a violin made by Nicolò Gagliano in 1767, purchased with assistance from the Countess of Munster Trust, Abbado Young Musicians’ Trust, and The Loan Fund for Musical Instruments. |
