Marimba

Alex Smith

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About Alex

Alex is a graduate of the RNCM (UK) and is currently studying at KCA (Antwerp - Belgium). Available for events in the UK and EU.
Marimba
Antwerp
Public liability insurance of £10 million

Alex Smith is a British percussionist, currently studying a masters in marimba performance at the Koninklijk Conservatoirum Antwerpen (Belgium) with the renowned marimbist Ludwig Albert. Alex graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, UK) with a first class honours degree in 2018. He performs regularly as a marimba soloist, chamber musician and orchestral percussionist in the UK and Europe. As a soloist, Alex has extensively performed across the UK recital circuit, and has also performed across the world with highlights including concert hall performances in Wuhan, Beijing and Tianjin. As an orchestral musician, Alex has performed in a wide variety of contexts including: symphony, chamber, baroque, contemporary and pop orchestras, with a variety of student, amateur and semi-professional orchestras. Recent performance highlights include; tuned percussion in Penderecki’s “Seven Gates of Jerusalem” conducted by the composer and the Bridgewater Hall, Respighi’s “Pines of Rome” under Sir Mark Elder, and combined timpani and percussion in Szene 12’s production of La Bohème in Dresden. He also played solo marimba and percussion for Buxton Opera Festival's production of "The Orphans of Koombu" in 2019. As a chamber musician, Alex works mainly within the contemporary music field. He plays percussion in the award winning ‘Melia Duo’, with which he performs in many recitals, workshops and family concerts. Recent highlights for the ensemble include being awarded 2nd prize in the prestigious ‘Enkor!’ international chamber competition, and giving a recital at the European Saxophone Congress in Portugal. Outside of the Melia Duo, Alex performs regularly with other instrumentalists for short term chamber music projects. Personal highlights include performing works by Tansy Davies and Harrison Birtwistle as part of a contemporary music festival at the Wigmore Hall, and having the opportunity to work with both composers prior to performance. He was also a member of the RNCM Percussion Sextet for their sell-out concert hall tour of China in 2018, where the ensemble also placed 1st in the Shanghai National Percussion Competition - Chamber Ensemble category. Originally from Hull, Alex's early musical experiences came from the brass band tradition. This ultimately led to him playing with the Black Dyke Brass Band. During his time with the band, Black Dyke recorded several albums of new and traditional music, performed concerts across the UK and overseas, and won several competitions including the European Brass Band Championships in Freiburg, Germany.

Encore badges
8th Anniversary
This act has been working with Encore for over 8 years
Musicianship
Genres:
Christmas, Classical, Baroque, Musical theatre, Opera, Film / TV music, Classical crossover, Contemporary classical, Avant garde, Experimental, Noise music, Light music, World music
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Instruments:
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Event types:
Concert, Wedding, Hotel / Restaurant event, Private event, Theatre / Show, Cruise, Recording session, Bar / Club / Venue event, Funeral / Memorial service, Church service
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Other skills:
Composer, Arranger, Fluent sight-reader, Instrumental teaching, Theory teaching, Transcription, Actor, Accompanist, Composition teaching, Animateur, Examiner
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Alex's Song list

*I am able to arrange popular songs and classical pieces for the Marimba or the Vibraphone on request, (at extra charge)*
Marimba (Concert Solos):
- Ameline (Eric Sammut)
- Italian Song (Eric Sammut)
- Rotations 1, 2, 3 & 4 (Eric Sammut)
- Wind in the Bamboo Grove (Keiko Abe)
- Memories of the Seashore (Keiko Abe)
- Tambourin Paraphrase (Keiko Abe)
- Birdscapes (Takashi Yoshimatsu)
- Two Mexican Dances (Gordon Stout)
- Dr Gradus Ad Parnassum (Debussy arr. Leigh H Stevens)
- Suite Bergamasque, Prelude, Minuet, Claire de Lune, Passepied (Debussy arr. Alex Smith)
- Inventions 6, 8, 13 (J.S. Bach arr. Alex Smith)
- Cello Suite No.3 (J.S. Bach arr. Alex Smith)
- Violin Partita no.3 (J.S. Bach arr. Alex Smith)
- White Squirrel (Julie Spencer)
- Pure Imagination (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newly arr. Alex Stopa)
Contemporary Classical Solo repertoire:
- Loops 2 - Vibraphone (Phillipe Hurel)
- Omar - Vibraphone (Franco Donatoni)
- Mourning Dove Sonnet - Vibraphone (Christopher Deane)
- Rebonds A&B - Multi Percussion (Iannis Xenakis)
- Loops 4 - Marimba (Philippe Hurel)
- Fabian Theory - Marimba and live electronics (Nigel Westlake)
- Fluctus - Marimba (Nebroska Johan Zivkovik)
- Treatise - Flexible instrumentation (Cornelius Cardew)
Customer questions

Which venues have you performed at in the past?

I have performed extensively on the chamber/solo recital circuit in the North of England. This has principle involved venues like Churches and theatres. I think the marimba sounds especially beautiful in large acoustics, such as the Manchester Cathedral (which is one of my all-time favourite performance venues!).

What is the most high profile gig you've performed?

This is a tricky question to answer! I’ve played many events that have been important for different reasons... one of my personal highlights though is a tour to China with the RNCM Percussion ensemble. We gave concerts in 5 of the most prestigious Chinese concert halls (including Beijing Forbidden City, Wuhan Quintai and more), all with sold-out audiences!

Alex's Prices

Note: prices may vary based on travel distance. For an exact quote, click “Check availability”.

Standard Prices
Performance durationPrice
Short performance (up to 15 min)£100
Up to 1 hour£175
Up to 2 hours£250
Up to 3 hours£300

Add-ons

Arrangement
+£50

Alex's Reviews

From customers:

AM
Audience M
5 years ago

"I saw you perform at the Manchester Art Fair yestrday, and I just had to email to tell you how great I thought your performance was! It created the perfect ambiance for the fair; beautifully subtle and unobtrusive, yet fascinating to watch for those of us who wished to! It came as a surprise to myself and other audience members that a percussion instrument could be so melodic and sensitive. I wish more people knew!"

AM
Audience M
6 years ago

"I really enjoyed your recital at Manchester Cathedral yesterday. I've never seen a marimba before, but I was very impressed with what you could do on it! My children all really want to learn now, but I don't think we have the space for one at home!!"