Alexander (Sasha) Katsnelson
General Director

Alexander Katsnelson, a native of Russia, received doctorates in Violin Performance and Violin Pedagogy from the Glinka Conservatory in Gorky, now known as Nijny-Novgrad, and studied under Nina Beilina in Moscow. Dr. Katsnelson left the U.S.S.R. for Israel where he became a member of the Jerusalem Radio & Television Symphony Orchestra. He was then invited by Daniel Orin to join the Rome Opera Theater Orchestra as principal of the second violins. He went on to play with the Santa Cecilia Symphony Orchestra until he became concert master for the Italian State Radio & Television (RAI) Orchestra. He was also a long-standing member of the Euroterpe Quartet in Rome. During his years in Italy, Dr. Katsnelson was a professor of violin at the Italian State Conservatory in Cagliari. He was also in demand as a clinician, giving workshops on performance anxiety and the neurological bases of violin performance. He published a number of articles on these topics in academic journals together with the Chairman of the Psychology Department at the University of Rome - La Sapienza.

Upon moving to the United States in 1994, Dr. Katsnelson founded the Center of Musical Studies, a non-profit arts organization, which produces international musical events and operates a music school in the Washington metropolitan area. As General Director of the Center of Musical Studies, Dr. Katsnelson also launched the Amalfi Coast Music Festival & Institute, a classical music festival that takes place each summer in Vietri-sul-Mare, Italy. The summer institute has an international faculty of over 20 professors and offers intensive study in voice, piano, and strings.

Dr. Katsnelson serves on the board of the Washington International Competition. He has adjudicated numerous competitions in Europe and the United States. He is also a founding director of  Italian Muse, a cultural association based in Washington, D.C. Dr. Katsnelson continues to teach and performs as a soloist and with chamber ensembles.

Administration