Not many people get the opportunity to be a solo violinist at Carnegie Hall as a teenager. Alexander Markov, a DHS alumnus, had this great honor several times and is now giving Darien the opportunity to come see him rock out on stage.
 
Markov fell in love with rock music when he came to America. When he lived in Russia he only played and listened to classical music. He experienced an explosion of new sounds that he had never heard before.
 
Markov spoke of how different Darien High School was compared to his school in Russia. “I came from this classical environment in Russia where everyone is so focused on classical training, and Darien High School was a breath of fresh air.” Here, he learned about his “darker side,” and he began listening to rock and roll music, notably Metallica and Led Zepplin.
 
Although he was exploring himself and finding new passions, Darien High School also proved to be a challenge for Markov. When he arrived in Connecticut, he didn’t speak any English.
 
Another challenge he faced when he was just starting to play rock and roll was that he “wasn’t very good. Everyone would tell me to stick to classical violin!”
 
But Markov is undaunted by challenge. His views on his success are based on the simple premise that anything is possible with a dream. “If you have a dream or aspiration - listen to your heart, follow your dream. Everyone goes through challenges, no matter who they are.”
 
Looking back on his days at Darien High School, after playing with rock legends, he thinks it would be funny to see the people who told him he could only play classical.
 

For this upcoming concert, Markov will use the same format as he did when he last performed at Carnegie Hall. With this two part format, there is music that everyone can enjoy. In the first half of the concert, Markov will be playing classical music, accompanied by a string group and piano. The second half will consist of the Rock Concerto, an original composition he composed with James V. Remington, with Markov playing alongside a band.

During the second half, he will be playing a 24-karat gold plated violin, specifically designed for him by Remington, complete with a light up bow (pictured below).

Freshman Jessica Jones attended Markov’s last concert at Carnegie Hall.“I thought it was good, very rock and roll at the end and his colored bow was awesome… I would love to go see him again!”

The show is April 1st at 8pm at the Norwalk concert Hall. You can purchase tickets at Rockconcerto.com and enter the code “school10” for the Darien special ticket discount for students, families and faculty.

Read more about Markov from past issues of Neirad:

1979 - Page 7

1983 - Page 6