Sam Morris

Alexander Viazovtsev, trained in music in Russia and the United States, uses his apartment living room as rehearsal space. He is a flute teacher and principal flutist for the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

By Kristen Peterson

Mon, Sep 1, 2008 (2 a.m.)

Instrument: Flute

Age: 29

Education: Tchaikovsky’s Music College of Ekaterinburg, Russia; Ural State Conservatory, Ekaterinburg; College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati.

Employment: Flute teacher and principal flutist for the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

On playing the flute: Born and raised in the Siberian oil city of Tyumen, Viazovtsev started playing the recorder at age 7, switched to piccolo and was on the flute by 8. He appreciates the virtuosity and expressiveness of flute music, but is chagrined that the flutist is often “cursed to be a bird in the orchestra ... In my mind, it is the most expressive instrument. I don’t like many instruments to begin with, but the flute, when I hear it, I can never get enough.”

Where he practices: Living room of the two-bedroom apartment he shares with his wife, violinist Laraine Kaizer-Viazovtsev, and their cats, Dasha, Seraya and Chernishka.

Hobbies/Interests: Comically dispelling myths about the weather and social and cultural climate of Siberia. Likes early rap and enjoys impersonating varied American dialects. Favorite TV show is “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Wishes he knew how to play jazz.

Why Vegas: Came to the United States in 2000 to complete his schooling. After college, he served as the substitute principal flutist with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and as principal flutist with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. He successfully auditioned for the Philharmonic’s new director, David Itkin, and joined the orchestra at the beginning of last season.

Favorite composers: No favorite composers, but likes flute concertos by Jacques Ibert and Carl Reinecke. His CD, “From My Homeland,” recorded with Benjamin Boren, includes works by contemporary composer Vladimir Tsibin (or Tsivin), Prokofiev and Otar Taktakishvili.

Sticking around for awhile? Hopes to eventually move to another city and find a full-time job as a musician. (The part-time Las Vegas Philharmonic gig pays him $5,000 a year). Would like to live in Minnesota (hey, it’s cold there). With a smile, he says, “Teachers today say, ‘You will not be rich, you will not have a satisfying experiences.’ But when I was growing up, nobody told me about that.” Competition for jobs is fierce, he says. “Every year schools spit out more and more music graduates, and orchestras don’t multiply like that.”