Alex McFarlane

New Zealand violist Alexander McFarlane is Associate Principal Viola with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, with which he has also performed as a soloist. Equally at home in a solo, chamber, or orchestral idiom, he has performed internationally in venues including the Wigmore Hall, the Barbican Hall, the Musikverein in Vienna and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with such artists as Janine Jansen, Anthony Marwood, and the Doric String Quartet, and performed at festivals including Yellow Barn, “At the World’s Edge” Festival, the “Mendelssohn on Mull” Festival, and “Musique à Marsac” in France.

 

Competition success includes winning the 2018 Lorna Viol Memorial Prize and ROSL Trophy for the most Outstanding Musician from Overseas at the ROSL Annual Music Competition, and in 2017 the First Prize and the Bach Prize at the Gisborne International Music Competition. Alex received his Master’s degree and Artist Diploma under the tutelage of Professor David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has also played in masterclasses to artists including Tabea Zimmermann, Kim Kashkashian, and Lars Anders Tomter. In addition to playing with the NZSO, Alex has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.