Alexander Gordon has achieved considerable international recognition as a soloist, conductor, chamber musician and teacher. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Alexander changed his family name from Zemtsov to Gordon, protesting against Russian aggression and the use of the letters “Z O V” as symbols of Vladimir Putin's regime. Following a successful career as a viola player, including taking on the position of Principal Viola of the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 23, Gordon made his conducting debut with the Finnish Lappeenranta Symphony Orchestra in 2014. He has developed his reputation as a sought-after conductor working with the Ukranian Orchestra INSO-Lviv, Bulgarian National Radio- Symphony Orchestra, the Mannheim Chamber Orchestra in Germany, the National Opera of Ukraine in Kyiv, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

As conductor, he has collaborated with many of the world’s finest musicians including Mischa Maisky, Simon Trpceski, Roman Simovic, Boris Garlitsky, Gordon Nicolic and Tabea Zimmermann.

In 2016 Alexander Gordon was appointed artistic advisor and conductor of the International New Symphony Orchestra (INSO) in Lviv, giving this multinational German-Russian-Ukrainian-Jewish musician the role of an “Ambassador of Peace” in Ukraine. His recording with INSO Lviv on Toccata Classics of 24 Caprices by Paganini orchestrated for Symphony Orchestra by Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk was ‘highly acclaimed’ by BBC Radio 3’s CD Review.