Aleksei Kiseliov is one of the foremost cellists of his generation. Born in Belarus in 1985, he began his musical studies when he was only 5 years old at the Republican Music College with Vladimir Perlin. Aleksei was 8 years old when he gave his first public recital and a year later toured to Holland as a soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of the Republican Music College. He developed his work as a soloist, performing with the State Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra of Belarus. It was at this time that he won the International Competition ‘Music of Hope’ and later in 1997, at the age of 12, Aleksei was a prize-winner at the Tchaikovsky International Youth Competition in St Petersburg. He became ‘Belarus Pupil of the Year’, a scholar of the President’s Fund of Belarus and received a special prize from the Vladimir Spivakov Fund. Still a young boy, Aleksei began performing as soloist with the Belarus Philharmonic Society and the Opera and Ballet House. Further engagements followed in Germany, Holland, France and England, all receiving much acclaim. His appearances at the Franco-Byelorussian Musical Spring were a huge success. In 1998 his performances in Paris’ venues such as Cortot Hall and Trianone Theatre were equally well received.
In 2000, Aleksei began studying with Tilman Wick in Hannover and 3 years later moved to London to study with Prof. Jerome Pernoo at the Royal College of Music. From 2007, Aleksei studied with Raphael Wallfisch while pursuing the Artist Diploma course at the RCM. Later he had a year of lessons with Natalie Clein at Trinity Laban. Among his teachers, Aleksei also took a number of lessons and masterclasses with such cellists as Bernard Greenhouse, Anner Bylsma, Ralph Kirshbaum, Frans Helmerson and Pieter Wispelwey.
While in London, Aleksei was a prize-winner of several competitions and awards including Leverhulme Trust Award, Richard Carne Award, Lillian Sutton Award, Orpheus Sinfonia Trust Award, The Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Lambert Fellowship Award. In 2008 and 2009, Aleksei directed his own International Music Festival ‘Melodrama’ in London and Minsk. His solo and concert work was developing in Europe, UK, USA as well as in his home country of Belarus, including venues such as Concertgebouw Kleine Saal in Amsterdam, Concert Noble and Flagey in Brussels, Cadogan Hall and Purcell Room in London.
Since 2011, Aleksei combines his solo career with his orchestral role as a Principal Cellist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, where he regularly performs as a soloist and in chamber groups. He also teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Among international Festivals, Aleksei has been invited to perform at Les Vacance Des Monsieur Haydn, Cello Masterclasses and Concerts in Kronberg, Beauvais Cello Festival, Aix En Provence Festival, Yuri Bashmet International Music Festival, GAIA Chamber Music Festival, Musica Mundi Festival with musicians such as Gavriel Lipkind, Giovanni Sollima, Alina Ibragimova, Nicola Benedetti, Itamar Golan, Maxim Vengerov and many more.
