Alexander Bader studied piano and clarinet at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin. He studied clarinet under Manfred Preis, Peter Rieckhoff, and Wolfgang Meyer. In 1990 during his soloist exam at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, he was invited to join the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. In 1998 he was awarded an Echo Classic Award for chamber music, and in 2002 he won the job of Principal Clarinet at the Komische Oper in Berlin. In 2006 Bader became a member of the Berliner Philharmoniker. He has been a member of the Scharoun Ensemble Berlin since 2006 and is a member of the Bläser der Berliner Philharmoniker. In 2012 he was awarded the International Classical Music Award. This is his first appearance at PMF.