In March 2007 the conductor of St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra NIKOLAI ALEXEEV was awarded the title of «People’s artist of the Russian Federation». He started his musical education at Glinka Leningrad choir school. Later he graduated from Leningrad Conservatory, where he majored in choir conducting in the class of A. Mikhailov and opera-symphony conducting in the class of M. Jansons. After then he was working with Yuri Temirkanov his advisor, leading Kirov (Mariinsky) theatre. The maestro is laureate of international contests of H. Von Karajan Foundation (West Berlin, 1982), V. Talikh (Prague, 1985) and Min-On (Tokyo, 1985).

Nikolai Alexeev's work is extremely intense. The conductor led Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, and was the principal guest conductor of the oldest in the Baltic, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Zagreb and Ulianovsk Philharmonic orchestras (from 2001/2002 he is also the Artistic director and chief conductor of this orchestra). He performed with Academic Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Philharmonic, Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra and Russian National Orchestra and also with Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Rotterdam, Dresden, Stuttgart and Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestras, Berlin and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras, Liverpool Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic.

From 2000 Nikolai Alexeev is the conductor of St.Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra. His alliance with one of the most famous Russian orchestra showed his potential to the audience in many countries. He performs Viennese classics as well as Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Shostakovich, with Nikolai Alexeev the Philharmonic Orchestra performed all Brahms' symphonies, all Rachmaninov's piano concertos, a number of works by Prokofiev and «Gurrelieder» by Schonberg. Working with St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, he finds his innate conductor’s interest towards the concert performances of operas and ballets. They include, above all, compositions of Stravinsky, which constitute one of the main repertoire directions of Alexeev. The maestro regularly gives first performances of works by modern composers. Thus he conducted in the Philharmonic Hall the first performance of the Thirteenth Symphony by Slonimsky, Dante-Symphony by Tischenko, Concerto Cantabile by Shchedrin (St.-Petersburg premiere), «Figure of Speech» by Korolev and other works.

The programs of Nikolai Alexeev’s concerts performed in Europe (Germany, France, Italy, UK), Latin America, Japan and US, are always distinguished for their originality and refined musical taste.