About the Artist
Composer Alexandra Gardner creates music for varied instrumentations, often mixing acoustic instruments with electronics. Her compositions have been featured at festivals and venues throughout the world, including performances at the Aspen Music Festival, Warsaw Autumn Festival, Beijing Modern Festival, Centro de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, Festival Cervantino, Conservatory of Amsterdam, The Library of Congress, and The Kennedy Center. Gardner's music has been commissioned and performed by acclaimed ensembles and musicians such as SOLI Chamber Ensemble, cellist Joshua Roman, pianist Jenny Lin, and the Seattle Symphony. Among Gardner's honors and awards are recognitions from Meet the Composer, ASCAP, American Composers Forum, Mid-America Arts Alliance, and The Netherland-America Foundation. She has held residencies at organizations such as The MacDowell Colony, and recently served as Composer in Residence of the Seattle Symphony for the 2017-2018 concert season. Her music is recorded on the Innova, Ars Harmonica, and Naxos labels.
Alexandra Gardner website View Website
Artist's Statement
I compose music for varied instrumentations, often mixing acoustic instruments with electronic sound in
a blend of lyricism, rhythmic exploration, textural constructions, and sonic storytelling. I believe strongly
in inviting both performers and listeners into new sound worlds. My creative practice draws inspiration
from mythology, contemporary literature, my background in percussion performance, and experiences of
the natural world. I often utilize sound sources such as field recordings and processed recordings of
acoustic instruments as sketches and stepping stones in all of my work. To me, these sound sources
imbue the music with a vitality that is crucial to my compositions.
