Born in Greensboro, NC, Alex first started playing music when he picked up percussion in his elementary school band at the age of 9. Soon inspired by his neighbor, he convinced his parents to allow him to take up piano lessons as well.

Participation in middle school and high school bands exposed him to many diverse styles of music, including steel drum music, where he played drum set and a steel pan for his high school ensemble, and then jazz in the same school’s jazz band.

This experience catapulted Alex into the Jazz Band at UNC Chapel Hill his freshman year. The demanding program allowed him to grow in both drum set skills and jazz piano skills. Here, he was able to play latin jazz piano in a Charanga Ensemble, which improved his reading and soloing capabilities.

At UNC, Alex also had the opportunity to learn both Classical Music Theory and Jazz Theory and Arranging. The latter gave him the opportunity to develop his Big Band and Jazz Combo arranging skills, leading to public performances of his pieces.

Before his senior year, he began to learn how to orchestrate and was successful in writing three songs for Orchestra (two Symphony and one String), two of which were performed before the semester’s end(and can be heard on the music page).

Alex now looks towards the future as an opportunity for growth and for further expression of creativity in both old and new mediums.