Sasha Margolis is a versatile violinist, well-versed in classical, klezmer, new, early, and jazz music. Praised by the Washington Post for his "incisive, vibrato-rich tone," he has performed chamber music in Italy, Japan, and throughout the U.S., including a concert for President Zeman of the Czech Republic at the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C. At Spoleto Festival USA, Mr. Margolis was concertmaster for U.S. premieres of little-known operas by Janacek, Bellini and Donizetti, also playing and acting in Mauricio Kagel's La Trahison Oral.
As a musician, he has collaborated with the Pittsburgh Symphony's Andres Cardenes and Ann Williams, the Maia Quartet, members of the Corigliano and Pro Arte Quartets, and has played as a guest member of the Arianna Quartet. While a student at Oberlin College, he performed the Berg Violin Concerto with Robert Spano conducting. Mr. Margolis has appeared for a total of about two minutes on network TV: five seconds of these were spent impersonating a strolling violinist on ABC's Lost; the remainder, reciting Shylock's "I am a Jew" speech on CBS Sunday Morning. His short story "The Fallen Cone" received a commendation from the Sean O'Faolain International Short Story Competition; he has also written for Opera America Magazine, and currently publishes short fiction and thoughts on Jewish history and music at www.TheTsimbalist.com.
He has played klezmer music since childhood, and is also Big Galut(e)'s singer.
