Alexander Garde is a multi-disciplinary percussionist based in Houston, Texas, studying with the Houston Symphony Orchestra’s Associate Timpanist Matthew Strauss at Rice University, where he is pursuing his Master of Music Degree. Alex holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied with Daniel Bauch and William Hudgins of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Alex enjoys performing with a wide range of orchestral, chamber, and contemporary music ensembles. His orchestral focus has led him to perform with many ensembles in the Boston area, including the Boston Civic Symphony and the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra. He has also received fellowships with many prestigious summer music festivals around the world, including at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and the Round Top Festival Institute. A strong proponent of the importance of contemporary music as a way to push boundaries and inspire change in the field, Alex is a founding member of Alinéa Ensemble, a new music ensemble based in Boston, which has recently premiered new works by Michael Finnissy and Richard Barrett. This passion has additionally driven Alex to premiere new works by influential modern composers, such as “Small,” a work for solo percussion by Joan Tower, as well as to commission a variety of new solo and chamber repertoire. An advocate for community outreach and music education, Alex proudly works with organizations such as DaCamera in Houston and NEC's Prep School to help inspire the next generation of musicians.