Alexander Preuß, a double bassist originally from Berlin, did not begin studying music until he was 16 years old, initially taking piano lessons with Günter Ketzscher. At age 18, he switched to the double bass and, just two years later, began his studies with Prof. F. M. Grabner at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. When Grabner moved to the Leipzig University of Music and Theater, Alexander Preuß continued his studies there and successfully completed his degree in 2005. He gained important musical inspiration during his training with the German Music School Orchestra—now known as the German String Philharmonic—as well as with the International Bach Academy Stuttgart under the direction of Hellmuth Rilling. He subsequently gained his first professional orchestral experience with the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. In 2003, he was accepted as a scholarship recipient into the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra’s Orchestra Academy, where he served for two years. Since 2005, Alexander Preuß has been a member of the double bass section of the Munich Philharmonic. Since 2013, he has also been a member of the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra. In addition to music, basketball has played an important role in his life since childhood. In 1989, he participated in the last GDR mini-basketball championship and spent time at the sports hall almost every day until he was sixteen. To this day, he remains involved in basketball as an active player, youth coach, and head of a basketball program.
