So much to share as of late! Let’s start with the teaching information, and then I’ll share the good news/performances/etc!
TEACHING: I currently have openings in my teaching studio for private composition lessons in 30-minute, 45-minute, and 1 hour times. I have experience working with students of all ages and ability levels, and I am happy to offer references if requested. All lessons happen over Zoom, so you can study with me from anywhere in the world! Please write to me with any questions or to learn more about scheduling, rates, etc.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES: I am currently out in Philadelphia for a project with the Curtis Institute of Music and We the Purple Project for Democracy. My collaborator, Camilla Tassi, and I are thrilled to hear Ensemble 20/21 present the world premiere of “Tell Me What Democracy Looks Like” this Saturday, March 26 at 8 pm EST at the Curtis Institute of Music!
Complete list of upcoming performances include:
Friday, March 25: ”Internal Dialogue,” performed by Louis Raymond-Kolker at Winston-Salem State University
Saturday, March 26: WORLD PREMIERE of “Tell Me What Democracy Looks Like,” performed by Ensemble 20/21 at Curtis Institute of Music
Sunday, April 3, “Familiar,” performed by Alex Braud at Lamar University
Wednesday, April 6: “Murmuration,” performed by Percussia at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Jackson Heights, NY
Satuready, April 9: Alexis is performing in the WORLD PREMIERE of Nicholas Felder’s “This Space: A Place for Belonging,” at University of Michigan
Sunday, April 10: “Matters/Mind,” performed by University of Kentucky Percussion Ensemble
Saturday, April 16: “Matters/Mind,” performed by Bowling Green State University Percussion Ensemble
Saturday, April 23-Sunday, April 24: WORLD PREMIERE of “Venus,” performed by the Albany (NY) Symphony, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Saturday, May 14: WORLD PREMIERE of songs for the Poetry and Music Project at Opera Omaha
Sunday, May 22: WORLD PREMIERE of new string quartet for Vera Quartet and Community, Indian Hill Music School
Saturday, June 4: WORLD PREMIERE of “Hybrid Cultivar,” performed as part of my first sound installation (!!!) to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Peony Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, Ann Arbor, MI (installation will be public starting in late May)
Friday, June 10: “For Marsha (P. Johnson),” performed by ChamberQUEER, National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
EXTRA GOOD NEWS (part 1): I have generously received the Presser Foundation Graduate Music Award to begin my research for my dissertation! The heart of my dissertation is going to ask to what extent human music can interact with natural music without negatively impacting the ecosystem. My work will begin this summer by traveling to two of the quietest places on Earth, in Alaska and Ecuador, where humans have had minimal impact on the natural soundscape. I will be listening, recording, improvising, writing, and reflecting on my experiences with Nature. From there, I will embark on a series of “camping workshops” to explore compositional possibilities with various natural ecosystems/soundscapes around the lower 48. The goal is to develop music that begins with listening first, allowing music that can be performed by any person with any (or no) musical background, and finding ways that we can continue to respect and appreciate our world through the perspective of the sounds that Nature brings us.
EXTRA GOOD NEWS (part 2): I have received an EXCEL Enterprise Grant through the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance to record an album of solo ”percussion plus” works that I have written over the last decade! More on this project in a different post, because I will also create a crowdfunding campaign to offset some more recording costs, but look forward to hearing a collection of solos for percussion plus speaking/humming, voice, breath/presence, unique instrument combinations, loop pedals, and electronics!
EXTRA GOOD NEWS (part 3): I have been accepted to present a poster for the “Pedagogy into Practice” Music Theory Conference, happening June 2-4 at Michigan State University! My poster is titled, “Facilitating Group Composition for Large Ensembles through ‘Building Blocks’ of Rhythm, Harmony, Countermelody, Melody, Form, and Orchestration.” This is one of the first times I am publicly sharing a curriculum that I developed and implemented during my band director days, and I am looking forward to doing more education curriculum development, especially for music composition practices!
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS all around, and I hope to see you at one of the upcoming performances soon!
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