Alexander Lazarev

Alexander Nikolayevich Lazarev (Russian: Алекса́ндр Никола́евич Ла́зарев; born 5 July 1945, Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Russian conductor. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory, and later at the Moscow Conservatory with Leo Ginsbourg. In 1971, he was the first prize winner in a national conducting competition in the USSR. In 1972, he won a first prize and gold medal in the Karajan conducting competition in Berlin.

From 1987-1995, Lazarev was both chief conductor and artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre, the first person in over thirty years to hold both positions simultaneously. From 1992-1995, he was principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In 1994, Lazarev became principal guest conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO). From 1997-2005, served as principal conductor of the RSNO, and is now its conductor emeritus. Lazarev was the chief conductor of Japan Philharmonic Orchestra from 2009 September.