Alex Smith

I am a British percussionist, composer and educator currently based in Flanders, Belgium. I've been active as a professional musician for 10 years, and in that time I've enjoyed performing in a variety of professional contexts, ranging from work in symphony orchestras and brass bands to playing with pop singers and rappers. My work at present is mostly as a collaborative composer/performer; writing and performing music in predominantly interdisciplinary contexts. My main projects at present are a combination of composition and performance, in diverse fields from Spoken Word & Music and musical theatre to contemporary classical chamber music. All of these projects give me the opportunity to write and perform alongside a host of very talented individuals in the fields of music, poetry and theatre. Residencies and performances with each project allow me to present my work across continental Europe. Alongside my performance work, I work for Maisha VZW (a Belgium musical theatre outreach non-profit) in several roles. In Buren (a youth musical theatre outreach initiative) I am responsible for leading the music classes. Here I have the opportunity to introduce young people to the world of music; teaching them the basics and helping them create their very first performance. In Maisha in Concert (an elective module for masters students at the KCA), I help to coach the students in their new collaborations with external artists. I am also the producer of the group; responsible for planning and organisation while ensuring the smooth running of the project in general.