Alastair Brown is an active performer and teacher on both violin and viola, and has performed with the Minnesota Sinfonia for several years. He is a regular substitute for and has toured with the Minnesota Orchestra, and has also performed with the Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Duluth Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and the Rochester Orchestra, where he served as concertmaster. He is the violinist for Zeitgeist New Music Ensemble, and is also an artist-in-residence at Muse Salon Concert Series and a founding member of Arius Chamber Music.
With an avid interest in contemporary music, Brown has worked with composers Tania Leon, John Corigliano, Randall Davidson, David Evan Thomas, Arthur Krieger and Kamran Ince, among others. In addition to Zeitgeist, he has also performed with the Grammy award-winning sextet Eighth Blackbird.
As a teacher, he has been on the faculty of the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in New York, the Minnesota Valley Academy of Music and Arts at River Ridge. He currently serves on the violin/viola faculties of Minnesota Valley Conservatory and Saint Paul Conservatory of Music, in addition to teaching privately.
Brown earned a bachelor of music performance degree from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music under Masao Kawasaki and Itzhak Perlman. While in school, he was awarded the Dean Warren Schuyler award for most accomplished violinist. He also studied regularly with the late Dorothy DeLay. Proir to attending college, his primary teacher was current Minnesota Sinfonia violinist Helen Foli. He has also studied with Mary West, Lee Keng Kok and Karen Dreyfus.
When not performing or teaching, Brown enjoys practicing yoga, martial arts and skateboarding.
Video samples of Brown’s performances can be found at: www.youtube.com/user/AlastairBrownViolist
