Violin 1
Violinist, conductor, arranger and San Francisco Bay Area native, Zakarias Grafilo, has been the first violinist of the Alexander String Quartet since 2002. With the ASQ, Mr. Grafilo has performed in the major capitals all over the world. Members of the ASQ are featured in the thirty-minute documentary, “Con Moto: The Alexander String Quartet” which chronicles the Quartet’s travels through Poland in 2015. Also with the ASQ, Mr. Grafilo has recorded extensively, releasing works by Brahms, Mozart, Ravel, Schumann as well as complete string quartet cycles of Beethoven, Shostakovich, Bartók and Kodály.
Prior to joining the Alexander String Quartet, Mr. Grafilo served as Concertmaster of the Stockton Symphony and the Principal Second Violinist of the Pacific Symphony and Opera Pacific Orchestras. He received his early musical training through the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Preparatory Division as well as through the Marin Music Conservatory where he studied with Serban Rusu. Mr. Grafilo received his early orchestral training through the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra where he served as Concertmaster in 1992. He continued his studies at the University of California, Los Angeles studying with Alexander Treger.
Recent projects for Grafilo include record producing on various recordings as well as orchestral conducting. He has also received critical acclaim for his arrangements (for string quartet and mezzo-soprano) of works by Gustav Mahler (Rückert-Lieder, Kindertotenlieder and Songs of a Wayfarer), Richard Wagner (Wesendonck Lieder) and Richard Strauss (Four Last Songs). Recent arrangement commissions have included works for voice and piano quartet by Gabriel Fauré as well as song cycles for voice and piano trio by Francis Poulenc.
Zakarias Grafilo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University. He is currently on faculty at SFSU where he maintains a studio of violin students. In addition, Mr. Grafilo coaches chamber music in the Pre-College Division at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.