2024 Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Alexandra Simpson ’11 

Alexandra Simpson has established a multifaceted musical career and performs all over the world in the genres of classical, pop and jazz. She has received degrees from New England Conservatory, Yale School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and has studied with world renowned teachers Kim Kashkashian, Ettore Causa, and Dimitri Murrath.

In 2022, she won the Assistant Principal Viola position at California Symphony, where she now has tenure, and plays in many Bay Area orchestras such as SFOpera, SFBallet, and SF Symphony. She travels frequently to play with The Orchestra San Antonio in Texas, Wordless Music Orchestra in New York, in addition to many California orchestras and chamber music projects.

In addition to classical music, Alexandra has performed and recorded with many pop acts, including playing with Kygo at Outside Lands and BottleRock, recording with ZHU, and performing with Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Halsey, and joining Sigur Ros on their East Coast tour last year. She regularly performs Candlelight shows, and played more than 100 shows in the live Bridgerton Experience. In 2021, she was featured in conversation with Satya Nadella for his Keynote in Microsoft’s Build Conference and performed last year for George Lucas at Skywalker Ranch.

While at Yale, she began teaching students in underserved communities through the Music in Schools Initiative, and has since continued this mission in Colombia, San Antonio, Richmond and Daly City here in the Bay Area. One of her great joys is returning to San Domenico campus once a week for a hike and to give back to the community to whom she says she owes so much.