A devoted advocate for contemporary music, Alexandra Carlson has gained a reputation for thoughtful interpretations of new works by both emerging and established composers. Dr. Carlson has frequently appeared in the St. Petersburg Union of Composers Concert Series, performing works by Leonid Desyatnikov, Georgiy Firtich, Nikolai Martynov and Tatiana Voronina.  In Duo Consenso, together with Karina Sposobina, she performed the world premieres of Concerto for Two Pianos by Boris Arhkimandritov and Pieces for Two Pianos by Ekaterina Ivanova-Blinova.  Also with Duo Consenso, she performed the Russian premiere of Romantic Duets by Rodion Shchedrin at the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall. 

As the Artist in Residence at the Junger Kunstler Bayreuth Festival, Dr. Carlson recorded Concertino Bianco for piano and chamber orchestra in C-major by Georgs Pelecis.  While there, she also premiered new works by Gan Heffetz and Nemanja Sovtic. 

At The Educational Bridge Project Festival, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Alexandra Carlson premiered S’morzando for piano, viola, cello, flute, clarinet and horn (2006) by Vladimir Gorlinsky. Other premieres include Love (a vocal cycle based on the poetry of Alexander Pushkin) and 10 riddles (a vocal cycle based on the poetry of Korney Chukovsky) by Ekaterina Ivanova-Blinova. 

At the Harvard Musical Association in 2011, Dr. Carlson presented the American premiere of Piano Duets by Ekaterina Ivanova-Blinova, and also of the Sonata for violin and piano and Severing Winter for voice and piano, both by Anton Tanonov.   

In 2012, as the Contemporary Ensemble fellow at the Atlantic Music Festival (Waterville, Maine) Alexandra Carlson performed twenty-three world premieres, along with a wide range of contemporary music by resident composers, including: Daniel Shapiro, Robert Paterson, Phil Taylor, Rene Orth, Nina C. Young, Ian Ng, Sid Richardson, Ezra Weller, Corey Keating, David Lang, Bret Bohman, Metthew Recio, Suzanne Kosowitz, Deniz Tetik, Aaron N. Price, Yuchun Huang, Beth Karp, Meng Tian, Devon Y. Toyotomi, Chason Goldfinger, Colin Labadie, Christo Jankowitz and Kenji Oh.  

More recently, Dr. Carlson performed the NATS Art Song Award-winning cycle Missed Connections by David Sisco with baritone Kurt Ollmann and Trio for trumpet, violin and piano in E-flat major by Eric Ewazen with The Chrysalis Chamber Players.