Alexander S. Kollias is a clarinetist devoted to exploring the multitude of characters within the clarinet voice. As a chamber musician, he is the principal clarinetist with the Hartford Independent chamber Orchestra (HICO), as well as a founding member of Kalmia Ensemble. He also has appeared multiple times as a featured guest soloist with the string ensemble, Cuatro Puntos. The group featured Kollias on their most recent album, Through The Eyes of Children. Kollias is a founding member of the traditional jazz ensemble, French 75, and, a Bossa Nova Trio, Blue Madeiras.  He performs regularly with other traditional jazz ensembles, including the Corinthian Jazz Band. Kollias also performs with multiple Klezmer musicians and ensembles.

Kollias has performed across the world in venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Winter Garden, in the World Financial Center, in New York, the Yokosuka Arts Theatre in Japan, and Harpa in Reykjavik, Iceland. Kollias has recorded on two previously released CDs with the GVSU New Music Ensemble, Music for 18 Musicians and In C Remixed, both receiving much critical acclaim. He has premiered multiple works by composers such as Susan Botti, David MacBride, Jessica Rudman, Thomas Schuttenhelm, and Ken Steen. Kollias is a previous winner of the Paranov Concerto Competition, Sewanee Summer Music Festival Concerto Competition, and the Grand Valley State University Concerto Competition.

Along with performing, Kollias has a continuous commitment to pedagogy. His students range from young beginners to university students. In addition to being on faculty at Wesleyan University, he is on faculty at The Hartt School Community Division, The Hotchkiss School, Miss Porter’s School, and Holyoke Community College. His young students are competitive at the district and state levels, and many continue their clarinet studies at the collegiate level.

Kollias holds both a Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA 2018) and a Master of Music (MM 2013) degree from The Hartt School, where he studied with Ayako Oshima.