Alexander Z. Alden
Alexander Z. Alden
Education
- B.M. – Lawrence University
Background
Why did you choose to work at WCM?
WCM has an incredible ambition, aiming to offer a holistic yet rigorous musical education, while serving disenfranchised schools and providing as many opportunities as possible for students and faculty alike. This unremittingly optimistic and generous approach is one I value highly, and am proud to be a part of.
Describe a musical experience or teacher that had a positive impact on you.
While attending Lawrence University, I was invited by Phillip A. Swan in the Spring of 2025 to join his choir, NEWVoices, for a performance of Gustav Mahler's monumental Second Symphony. Thrilled to be selected, I convinced Swan to let me organize a group of fellow students to join as well. We found ourselves in the largest ensemble of our lives, hundreds of singers alongside a hefty orchestra. Amid such a massive ensemble, our voices were drowned out more than ever, yet we felt an immense empowerment from the scale of such overwhelming musical unity. It wasn't the most demanding role I've had, nor the simplest, but it remains one of the most meaningful: a reminder that the truth of music only reveals itself when it's bigger than one person.