Alexander Rudin was born in 1960 in Moscow, where he studied piano and cello at the Gnessin Institute, before his study of conducting at the Moscow Conservatory with Dmitri Kitaienko. He won numerous prizes in international competitions between 1976 and 1982 and has appeared as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony and the Danish Radio Orchestras, all of the principal Russian Orchestras and the Munich Chamber Orchestra. As a conductor Alexander Rudin has performed in Norway, Finland, Germany and Spain. In 1988 he was appointed Artistic Director of the Festival Musical Assemblies and the following year assumed direction of the Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra. He frequently performs in chamber music as a cellist and pianist, teaches chamber music at the Moscow Conservatory and regularly gives master- classes throughout Europe.