Alexander Pozdniakovas

Alexander Pozdniakovas is a violist from Helsinki who holds the position of principal violist in the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra but has also served as substitute solo violist since 2023. Unlike many other violists who switched from the violin to the viola, Pozdniakovas began playing the viola as his first instrument at the age of seven at the East Helsinki Music Institute under the guidance of Pirkko Simojoki.

In 2019, he began his studies at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers were Lilli Maijala, Nils Mönkemeyer, and Jakob Dingstad. He has also participated in masterclasses taught by Tabea Zimmermann, Yuval Gotlibovich, Françoise Gneri, and Silvia Simionescu, among others.

Pozdniakovas is a sought-after chamber and orchestra musician. He has played with most Finnish orchestras, including the RSO, HKO, KPKO, Lahti Sinfonia, and Tampere Philharmonic. He has also performed actively at chamber music festivals, including the Naantali Music Festival, Kamarikesä, Radalla Festival, and Varkaus Summer Classics.

He won second prize at the Oulu Viola Competition in 2022, and his artistic career has been supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Pro Musica Foundation. Pozdniakovas plays a rare Joannes Florenus Guidantus viola, kindly loaned to him by the OP Group Art Foundation.