Alex is a classically-trained pianist and media composer. He’s also a music software expert (Logic, Pro Tools, Vienna Ensemble Pro, Dorico, Finale, and Sibelius). Alex earned a Master of Music in Screen Scoring from the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, where he received the Betty Rose Collaboration Award and was mentored by James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight, King Kong, Signs).

He studied piano under Tomoko Kanamaru at the College of New Jersey where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance.

In his free time, Alex makes piano cover videos of game, film, and TV themes for his YouTube channel.

Lessons with Alex are structured while leaving room for experimentation and exploration. Depending on the student’s interest, lessons could dive deeper into theory, ear training, composition, improvisation, or learning music in a totally different genre. Alex is a fan of positive reinforcement and encourages regular practice and occasional performance to build confidence.

Some of Alex’s musical favorites:

Pianists: Vladimir Ashkenazy, Martha Argerich, Glenn Gould, Chick Corea
Film composers: John Williams, Howard Shore, Michael Giacchino, John Powell
Game composers: Koji Kondo, Nobuo Uematsu
Classical composers: Bach, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Gershwin