Alexis Routley

Alexis is one of the leading Australian French horn players of his generation. Originally from the Blue Mountains, Australia, he is currently based in Helsinki, Finland.

Over the years, Alexis has held many long-term contracts as principal horn and alternating principal horn with major orchestras such as the Tapiola Sinfonietta, Turku Philharmonic, and the Sinfonia Lahti.

Alexis is highly in demand with orchestras across Finland such as the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic, Finnish National Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic, Kymi Sinfonietta, Lappeenranta City Orchestra, Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra, Oulu Symphony Orchestra and Kuopio Symphony Orchestra.

He has also held long contracts as principal horn with orchestras such as the Joensuu City Orchestra, Vaasa City Orchestra, Pori Sinfonietta and Lohja City Orchestra. In addition, he has worked extensively as principal horn with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, Vantaa Pops Orchestra, Jyväskylä Sinfonia, St. Michael’s Strings, Hyvinkää Symphony Orchestra and with the Estonian Sinfonietta.

In Australia, Alexis has lent his artistry to major orchestras, including the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Melbourne Opera, Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra. His talent has also found its way into the recording studios of the Sydney Fox Studios for major movie and video game soundtracks.

Alexis’ versatility extends to the jazz realm, with a longstanding relationship with the Sointi Jazz Orchestra. Alexis has also appeared alongside the Helsinki UMO Jazz Orchestra.

His collaborative spirit brings him together with diverse groups like the Games Music Collective and the Finnish Guards Band. Alexis has toured with international stars such as Josh Groban, Michael Bolton, Olivia Newton-John, and the Cat Empire. In Finland, he has shared the stage with many of the country’s leading pop artists.

His international performances span continents, including a five-week tour in China to 21 cities in 2013. While studying, he toured Japan with an Australian wind ensemble. He also toured Hong Kong with the Tapiola Sinfonietta in 2016. He toured Copenhagen with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra twice in 2017 and 2018. He toured to Vienna in 2022 and Cologne, Germany in 2025 with the Estonian Sinfonietta. In addition, Alexis was invited to perform orchestrally in Iceland in April 2023. His musical journey has taken him to Norway, Sweden, France, Austria, India, and New Zealand.

Alexis holds a Master of Music from the Sibelius Academy (2017) and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Melbourne (2013) which included studies with Barry Tuckwell and Andrew Bain. He also completed two full years at the Australian National Academy of Music (2007-2008) and lived in Vienna and Berlin for several months in 2008 studying with leading horn players from the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Symphony Orchestra.

As a student, Alexis performed as principal horn with many youth orchestras in Australia, including the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Youth Orchestra, Melbourne Youth Orchestra, Sydney Sinfonia, and the now-defunct SBS Youth Orchestra. His early training was at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music for five years between 2002 and 2006.

Frequently returning to the Sibelius Academy as a guest artist, Alexis embraces both classical and modern music, performing on the natural horn and exploring non-conventional contexts. This has included sharing the stage with the Finnish Baroque Orchestra.

He has been the recipient of numerous grants from the Kone Foundation, Finnish Music Union and the Finnish Cultural Fund.

Alexis is fluent in Finnish and Spanish and is a triple citizen of Finland, Australia, and the UK.