Crushing Classical

Composer Alexandra Gardner creates music for varied instrumentations and often mixes acoustic instruments with electronics, drawing inspiration from topics including mythology, the natural sciences, and her training as a percussionist. Her music is performed extensively throughout the U.S. and in Europe at venues such as the Warsaw Autumn Festival, Beijing Modern Festival, The Library of Congress, and The Kennedy Center. She was a visiting composer for two years at the Phonos Foundation in Barcelona, Spain, and served as composer-in-residence for the Seattle Symphony. Recent projects include the string quartet Watershed, commissioned by Tesla Quartet, which explores the ways climate change is affecting the Chesapeake Bay region, and Time Unfolding, a concerto for alto saxophone and wind ensemble inspired by photographs from the James Webb Space Telescope. In addition to her composing activities, Alexandra maintains a private teaching studio and consulting business. She helps composers lead creative and fruitf