Alexey Zhilin was proclaimed "A Superb Russian" by the Austrian press after a historic "double" victory in Johannes Brahms Competition (2018), where he took two first prizes.
A Superb Russian – a passionate, masterful and profound musician, representing Russian cello school in its highest degree.
It's a rare if not a unique case nowadays when a musician, who was educated solely in Russia, more than that, in one city and by one teacher, earned international acclaim.
Alexey Zhilin (born in Leningrad in 1987) is one of the last disciples of an outstanding professor from St. Petersburg – Anatolii Nikitin. Alexey won in more than fifteen international competitions, he was also the first Russian winner of XXXVIII Dr. Luis Sigall International Music Competition (Chile). He later took the second place in one of the most prestigious competitions among cellists – Isang Yun competition (South Korea), which is the best achievement of the Russian cellists during the history of the competition.

The Belgian press compared the sound of his cello to the voices of great opera singers, calling it "mesmerizing" during the first in history Queen Elizabeth International cello competition in Brussels.
At present, the musician tours in: Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, South Korea, Japan. However, he pays great attention to concerts in Russia, considering them his mission as a Russian musician.
Alexey Zhilin has toured in Russia from Kamchatka to Murmansk both with solo concertos and as a part of well-known David Oistrakh string quartet (has been playing there since its foundation).
He has been teaching at Saint Petersburg Conservatory at the cello department since 2014, following in the footsteps of his teacher A.P. Nikitin. He regularly gives master-classes in Russia, Europe and Asia.
His repertoire includes a great part of the legacy of cello music together with a line of rare compositions, which can pleasantly surprise even the most exacting audience (A.P. Borodin cello sonata, M. Weinberg's Fantasia for cello and orchestra, preludes for solo cello etc.).
His repertoire also includes a substantial amount of contemporary music as he actively cooperates with modern composers. He performed Russian premieres of the compositions of Philippe Hersant, Isang Yun, Boris Tishchenko.
Alexey Zhilin cooperates with such musicians as Eliso Virsaladze, Teodor Currentzis, Kent Nagano and many others.