Alexander Balanescu, born on June 11, 1954, in Bucharest, is recognized as a pioneering violinist and a prolific composer, particularly noted for his contributions to contemporary and new music. He has consistently sought to explore innovative musical expressions throughout his career.

Balanescu began his musical journey at the age of seven when he enrolled in the Special School for Music in Bucharest. His formative years were shaped by notable teachers, including Dolly Koritzer, Garabet Avakian, and Stephan Gheorghiu. He furthered his studies at the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem under Iair Kless, continued at Trinity College in London with Bela Katona, and from 1975 to 1979, he attended the Juilliard School in New York, where he studied with Dorothy Delay. During his time at Juilliard, Balanescu participated in master classes led by distinguished violinists such as Pinchas Zukerman, Itzhak Perlman, Felix Galimir, and Robert Mann.

Returning to London, Balanescu became involved with several prominent contemporary music ensembles in the early 1980s, including Capricorn, Music Projects, Matrix, Gemini, Dream Tiger, and the London Sinfonietta. His versatility also led him to collaborate with the dance community, performing works such as Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire, Crumb's Black Angels, and Nyman's And do they do for the London Contemporary Dance Theatre.

In 1979, Balanescu took on the role of leader of the Michael Nyman Ensemble, with whom he toured internationally for 15 years. Concurrently, he was a member of the Gavin Bryars Ensemble. After spending four years with the Arditti Quartet, he founded his own ensemble, the Balanescu Quartet, in 1987. This quartet has commissioned over 25 works from composers including Michael Nyman, Gavin Bryars, Kevin Volans, and Balanescu himself, as well as from non-classical writers like John Lurie, David Byrne, Keith Tippett, Carla Bley, and Rabih Abou Khalil. The quartet has achieved significant success, touring the USA and performing at numerous European festivals, including Roskilde, Poori (Finland), Sziget (Budapest), Sphinks (Belgium), Ars Electronica (Linz), North Sea, Bath, Vale of Glamorgan, and Huddersfield.

Balanescu's recent collaborations as both composer and performer include work in dance with choreographers such as Merryl Tankard, Pina Bausch, and Suzy Blok, as well as theatrical productions at venues like Theatre de la Place Liege, Belgrade State Theatre, Cabaret Dromesko Rennes, and Watford Palace Theatre. His film and television music credits encompass notable feature films such as Angels and Insects (Philip Haas), Le Poulpe (Guillaume Nicloux), Il Partigiano Johnny (Guido Chiesa), and Eisenstein (Renny Bartlett), as well as TV documentaries including Dancing through Darkness (Theresa Griffith) and Spinoza (Chris Spencer), alongside over 20 animation films.

Balanescu’s solo recital programs, most recently performed in cities such as London, Napoli, Linz, Budapest, Gyor, Szeged, and Bucharest, have featured works by Nyman, Sciarrino, Reich, Glass, and Balanescu himself. In 1996, he showcased his talent at the Meltdown Festival as a soloist performing selections of Duke Ellington's pieces and later played Korngold’s Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Gunther Schuller. In 2002, he toured the UK with Philip Glass in Screens, performing at venues including the Royal Festival Hall, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Birmingham Symphony Hall, and the Salisbury Festival.