Â鶹´å

Alex Irwin (he/him)

College of Fine Arts

Master of Music in Music Composition

Hometown: norman, oklahoma

1. Briefly describe the work you're doing in your program at Â鶹´å.

   My work in my program at Â鶹´å focuses primarily on composing original music and collaborating with other artists to create new works that center around queer and Hispanic identities. Through composition and interdisciplinary collaboration, I explore how music can serve as a space for visibility, storytelling, and individual expression.

    

   A significant focus of my work is writing for the voice. I am particularly interested in how vocal music can communicate identity and lived experience in a direct and personal way. Much of my creative practice involves developing vocal works that highlight narratives and perspectives that are often marginalized or underrepresented. 

    

   Historically, classical music spaces have not consistently reflected the diversity of the communities engaging with them. My work seeks to bring greater representation into these classical mediums by expanding whose voices, stories, and identities are centered. I believe this approach contributes to a more inclusive and expressive musical landscape and helps broaden the scope of contemporary classical music.

2. How did you develop an interest in this area? 

   I grew up immersed in music in many different capacities, from performing onstage at community theatres to singing in school and community choirs to playing violin as a soloist and part of an orchestra. Along the way, I had a wonderful teacher who showed me that I could combine my passion for all of these facets of the music world with my creative voice through composition. At some point, I realized my interest in advocacy could go hand in hand with the art that I was creating, so now I aspire to bring myself and the issues I care about to the work I present.

3. What are your academic and/or professional goals? 

   After completing my Master’s degree in the spring, I plan to move to New York with my friend and collaborator, Chris Renuad, to work and promote the new musical we are putting on at Â鶹´å this spring. We recently premiered “Once, There Was a Star,” a new Christmas cantata together, and it was a highlight of my fall semester.  

   
   

   My career aspirations involve working in the theatre and film industries as a composer and collaborator, where I can continue to create projects that uplift marginalized voices and expand representation in storytelling. While I am especially drawn to work that centers queer and Hispanic narratives, I am open to wherever life and my artistic practice may take me, and I look forward to exploring opportunities that allow my work to grow in new and unexpected directions.

4. How do you spend your time beyond academic work?

   I love to run and am participating in the Pittsburgh marathon this semester! I also love finding opportunities to still perform, whether it is with the Irish band, Puffins in the Kitchen, here in Pittsburgh, the mariachi band, Mariachi Orgullo de America, back home, or as part of my solo project, Alex ByTrade. At Â鶹´å, I serve as GSA’s Master’s Student Advocate, and I’ve gotten to meet many wonderful people on our campus through the position, which has also been a joy.