Alexandra Preucil & Antoine Tamestit
Biography Alexandra Preucil & Antoine Tamestit
Alexandra Preucil
is internationally recognized for her communicative leadership and expressive artistry. She is a member of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and collaborates regularly in leadership positions with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Ballet Orchestra, and Tonkünstler Orchestra. Former Assistant Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, Alexandra relocated to Vienna, Austria in 2017.
Alexandra and violist Antoine Tamestit recently founded the Starker Duo and their debut recording of Bartók’s Duos will be released in the spring of 2026. They will also appear together in recital and chamber music performances throughout the 2025-2026 season.
Deeply committed to education and community engagement, Alexandra is creating Harmony the Hare, an interactive adventure with a menagerie of musical mammals and string quartet. Her passion for teaching led her to establish her own violin studio and to work extensively with the Cleveland Orchestra’s education department. As Director of the Britt Festival Fellowship Program, she developed a summer academy for string players to be mentored in a professional orchestra while guiding them to develop unique community and education programs. She continues to teach masterclasses worldwide, focusing on chamber music and orchestral repertoire. Alexandra also serves as Vice President of the Starker Foundation, carrying forward her grandfather’s mission to support aspiring professional cellists.
Born into a musical family, Alexandra began the violin at the age of three. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music with a bachelor’s degree in music performance and a minor in dance. She performs on a violin by Sanctus Serafin from 1744.
Antoine Tamestit
stands as a singular voice in the world of classical music, redefining what it means to be a viola player in the 21st century. He has captivated audiences and critics alike, bringing a fresh perspective to beloved masterpieces and contemporary works alike. His unique artistry, marked by an unparalleled sensitivity and a profound connection to his instrument, places him among the most distinguished musicians of our time.
In the course of the 2025/26 season, Antoine Tamestit returns to London Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Further highlights include his debut with Filarmonica della Scala and Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Finnish premiere of John Williams’s Viola Concerto with the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.
In recent seasons, he has performed with orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra... He performs regularly with leading conductors including Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Daniel Harding, Paavo Järvi, Klaus Mäkelä, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Sir Antonio Pappano, Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, François-Xavier Roth, Christian Thielemann, and Jaap van Zweden. During the 2024/25 season, Antoine Tamestit was artist-in-residence with Radio-France, the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfónica de Castilla y León.
Antoine Tamestit has premiered major contemporary works, including Jörg Widmann’s Viola Concerto; Thierry Escaich’s “La Nuit des chants;” Bruno Mantovani’s Concerto for Two Violas, featuring Tabea Zimmermann; Gérard Tamestit’s “Sakura;” Olga Neuwirth’s “Remnants of Songs” and “Weariness heals wounds;” Marko Nikodijević’s “Psalmodija” with the SWR Symphonieorchester; and Francesco Filidei’s Viola Concerto with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
A passionate chamber musician, he performs regularly with Emanuel Ax, Martin Fröst, Leonidas Kavakos, Yo-Yo Ma, Emmanuel Pahud, Yuja Wang, Shai Wosner, and the Quatuor Ébène. He is also a founding member of Trio Zimmermann with Frank Peter Zimmermann and Christian Poltera: the string trio is appearing at the finest venues in Europe for over ten years.
His discography with harmonia mundi embraces a dozen releases, ranging from Telemann and Bach to Jörg Widmann, as well as the major German Romantic (Schumann, Brahms) and French (Fauré, Debussy) repertoire...
