Alina Czekala Psaros 

Alina Czekala Psaros started playing the violin at the age of six, and was classically trained in Germany. She received her Bachelor’s degree with Academic Honors from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Miriam Fried. She is currently pursuing a Master of Music degree in violin performance at the Longy School of Music, under the tutelage of Mark Lakirovich. 

Alina has played in various ensembles, from piano trio to clarinet quintet and string octet."  In addition, she has performed with orchestras in the United States and Europe, and has held concertmaster positions with the Longy Conservatory Orchestra, the New England Conservatory Symphony, the Federal Youth Symphony of Baden-Wurttemberg, and, for several years, the Mannheim Youth Symphony. She has been a fellow at the National Orchestral Institute, Music Academy of the West, Heifetz International Institute, Idyllwild Arts, and Detmold Summer Academy festivals.

As a soloist, Alina has performed with orchestras in Germany, including the Chamber Orchestra of Electoral Palatinate, the Mannheim Abendakademie Orchestra, the Capella Palatina Chamber Ensemble, the Mannheim Youth Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra of Speyer. Alina won first prize at the Mannheim Kiwanis Music Competition 2007, and several prizes at the German National “Jugend Musiziert” Competition, including first prizes in the violin solo and violin trio categories.

Alina expands her musical horizons through composing, improvising, and playing in genres such as contemporary, jazz, traditional Hungarian, and electronic music. Her orchestral tone poem “Noah’s Ark” was performed and recorded by the Mannheim Youth Symphony. Mixing her violin playing with digital sounds and effects, Alina has produced sound collages and her own modern renditions of classical pieces such as Vivaldi’s “Winter” violin concerto. In the future - by developing workshops and/or interactive performances - she would like to encourage music students to improvise, combine genres, and step outside their comfort zones. 

Alina is proud recipient of the Longy Dean’s Scholarship and Joseph L. Horner Endowed Scholarship, and was previously generously supported by the Wolfgang Poignee, Robert Bosch, and Wilhelm Muller Foundations.