about
Composer Alexandra Gardner is stirring up modern music circles with her innovative instrumental and electroacoustic music. She combines explorations into the rich details of acoustic sound with a visceral percussive energy to create dynamic sonic landscapes of shifting rhythms and unfolding textures. Drawing inspiration from sources ranging from mythology and contemporary poetry to her training as a percussionist and collaborations with innovative musicians and artists, Gardner is building new audiences for contemporary music with an expressive sound and a flair for the imaginative and unexpected.
Gardner's compositions have been featured at festivals and venues throughout the U.S. and internationally, including performances at the Aspen Music Festival, Akiyoshidae International Art Village, MATA Festival of New Music, Centro de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, The Corcoran Gallery of Art, CrossSound Music Festival, Look and Listen Festival, Conservatory of Amsterdam, The Library of Congress and The Kennedy Center. Her music has been commissioned and performed by ensembles and musicians such as Percussions de Barcelona, SOLI Chamber Ensemble, bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay, saxophonist Brian Sacawa, Contemporary Music Forum, pianist Kathleen Supové, The Seattle Chamber Players and Ne(x)tworks.
Among Gardner's honors and awards are recognitions from Meet the Composer, ASCAP, The American Music Center, American Composers Forum, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, the Maryland State Arts Council, Vassar College, The Netherland-America Foundation, the Open Meadows Foundation, the Prix Ton Bruynel and the Smithsonian Institution. She has been a composer-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and The MacDowell Colony. From 2002-2004 she was a Visiting Composer at the IUA/Phonos Foundation in Barcelona, Spain. In 2006 Innova Recordings released Gardner's CD Luminoso, a series of six compositions for solo instrument with electronics. She is a 2008 recipient of a DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities Individual Artist Fellowship.
Gardner holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Vassar College, and a Master of Music degree from The Peabody Conservatory of Music. Her principal teachers were Annea Lockwood and Ronald Caltabiano. She has also studied with Morton Subotnick, Augusta Read Thomas, Bernard Rands, John Harbison, Pauline Oliveros and Chen Yi.
Also active as an audio producer, Gardner provides digital audio production, consulting and training services for organizations and individuals. Recent clients include Soundprint Media Center, Flaneur Media, and National Public Radio. She currently resides in Washington, DC.