Where are they now? Cello Alumnus Alexander Hersh

Having already appeared as a soloist with the Houston Symphony and the Boston Pops, Academy alumnus Alexander Hersh (class of 2011,) has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting and versatile cellists of his generation. He has received top prizes at competitions worldwide including Astral Artists National Auditions and first prize at the National Federation of Music Clubs Biennial Young Artists Competition. He is a passionate chamber musician and has appeared  regularly at festivals across the globe.  Hersh is co-artistic director of NEXUS Chamber Music, a collective of international artists committed to stimulating interest in serious chamber music. Plans are underway for NEXUS and MIC Academy students to collaborate on a master class and concert next school year.

In January, Hersh performed with another MIC alumna, pianist Marta Aznavoorian, and violinist Frank Almond, at Center for Arts and Performance, in Milwaukee, WI and at Guarneri Hall in Chicago, IL. Hersh was a returning guest artist on Almond’s acclaimed Milwaukee chamber series, Frankly Music.

A 4th generation string player, Alexander’s parents, Stefan and Roberta, are both active professional violinists. His grandfather, Paul Hersh, is professor of viola and piano at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and his great grandfather, Ralph Hersh, was a member of the WQXR and Stuyvesant String Quartets, and principal violist of the Dallas and Atlanta Symphony Orchestras.

Raised in Chicago, Alexander Hersh began playing the cello at the age of five. In high school he studied with Hans Jørgen Jensen and attended the Academy at the Music Institute of Chicago where he was a member of the award winning Emerald String Quartet.  Hersh went on to receive his B.M. from New England Conservatory (with academic honors) where he was a student of Laurence Lesser, and in May of 2017, he received his M.M. from New England Conservatory. Hersh was a recipient of the Frank Huntington Beebe fund for studies in Berlin during the 2017 - 2018 academic year where he studied with Nicolas Altstaedt at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule für Musik. He plays a G.B. Rogeri cello on generous loan from a sponsor through Darnton & Hersh Fine Violins in Chicago, IL.