Bio

Alexa Letourneau is a composer, flutist, and vocalist currently based out of New York City, who will try not to bore you with a bio that is essentially just a bona fide list. An Ohio native, Alexa began playing the flute at the age of 9 and within weeks was taping 5 pens together to draw a staff in order to write her own music. Since then, her love for music has only grown, and she graduated with a BM in Composition from Illinois Wesleyan University, and is currently studying at the Mannes School of Music under Valerie Coleman. 

As a composer, Alexa's works have been heard in Austria, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and the United States. She aims to take the listener on a journey with every new piece, and her use of unique timbral combinations creates an expressive sound described as "poignant and intriguing, yet whimsical" -Gabriele Proy. Of all the awards her compositions have won, she is most chuffed about her hastily-written piece "Piccolo piccolo Piccolo piccolo piccolo piccolo Piccolo piccolo" winning runner-up for fan-favorite during a 48-hour composition challenge. She is also passionate about using her art for social change, be it speaking out against gun violence or composing specifically for LGBTQ+ performers. 

As a performer, Alexa has performed in such venues as the National Opera House of Slovenia and the Großersaal of the Vienna Musikverein, and has participated in events such as Wordfees cultural festival in Stellenbosch, South Africa and ColorTunes podcast with Fifth-House Ensemble. In both flute and voice, Alexa has specialized in the bookends of the classical genre: early music (pre-1750) with an emphasis on German vocal music, and new music, frequently playing premiers and workshopping pieces with living composers.

Alexa has also recently entered the world of music research; motivated by spite stemming from a particularly bad private lesson, she is conducting independent research on conceptions of the compositional voice and its use in compositional pedagogy. Her preliminary research gained her research honors in music at her undergraduate university, but she has no intention of leaving well enough alone, and she continues having complex discussions about authenticity, creativity, and psychology with anyone who will indulge her curiosity. 

Alexa is not only a musician, however; she spends her free time developing recipes, writing poetry, screaming into the void, and cross-stitching.