By: Jaclyn Breeze — Alexa Tarantino is a saxophonist, composer, and educator from West Hartford, Connecticut. She studied saxophone at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, and then moved to New York City where she studied at Juilliard. She has played with several groups including the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which she is currently with. She also directs one of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Youth Education Program High School big bands, and works with JALC’s Jazz For Young People Program bringing music to NYC schools.
She also releases music as a co-leader, playing saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Her albums have reached the top of JazzWeek Chart several times. She has been nominated as a Downbeat Magazine Rising Star on soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, and flute, and JazzTimes Critics’ Poll named her one of the “Top 5 Alto Saxophonists of 2019.”
In addition to jazz, she also has played for theater productions in New York City, Philadelphia, and Delaware.
Come see Alexa with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Rochester International Jazz Festival this summer!
Listen to some of her work:
Alexa is currently on tour with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Check out her calendar here: https://alexatarantino.com/calendar/
How many countries will she be visiting between March and April? Can you find them on the map?