Jesse Fraga/Staff Writer
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to become a piano prodigy, Joey Alexander can explain it through song.
Alexander is a chart-topping 16-year-old, three-time Grammy nominated Indonesian pianist seeking to make a progressive mark on the jazz industry.
Throughout Alexander’s fairly new journey of performing for audiences across America, he will be making a stop on Saturday, Nov. 2 at FIU’s Wertheim Performing Arts Center at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus.
Among a diverse group of highly acclaimed musicians, Alexander will be performing with the FIU Jazz Big Band for the 2019 FIU Music Festival.
The annual FIU Music Festival, organized by the FIU School of Music, plans to create an engaging atmosphere this year through a variety of esteemed classical and jazz components.
Having already produced two Grammy nominated albums by the age of 14, Alexander has begun to explore his potential as a composer, musician and bandleader.
“Joey has an infectious sense of play and deep fascination with kaleidoscopic possibilities of jazz,” said Jana Herzen, founder of the Motéma Music label, according to Alexander’s website.
Maintaining a balance of relaxing rhythms to upbeat melodies is what challenges him to develop music as a multi-dimensional composer.
When reflecting on how he translates these styles into his work, he said, “I’ve learned how to be a good listener.”
Alexander’s collaboration with the FIU Jazz Big Band is expected to be an unforgettable evening.
“The band has been internationally recognized as one of the premier college jazz ensembles in the world,” as stated on their website.
The band is compiled with graduate and undergraduate students, many who are professionally working and connecting with artists outside of South Florida.
FIU’s College of Architecture and the Arts promises concert-goers, “We have something for every musical taste!”
For more information on the event and to order tickets, contact the box office at (305) 348-0496, email musictix@fiu.edu, or visit https://carta.fiu.edu/music/festivalschedule/.
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