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Born and raised in Chicago, clarinetist, composer, improviser, and educator Alejandro T. Acierto has performed extensively in the USA and toured Europe as a chamber and orchestral musician. He began his musical studies at the Merit School of Music in Chicago and received his BM in clarinet performance and composition with a minor in Asian American Studies from DePaul University. While there, he studied with clarinetists John B. Yeh, Julie DeRoche, Wagner Campos and composers Kurt Westerberg and Juan Campoverde. Currently, Alejandro studies with David Krakauer and is working towards a Master’s Degree in the Contemporary Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.
In addition to his studies, Alejandro performs regularly with the ai ensemble, Loadbang, ensemble dal niente, Opera Cabal, TACTUS, ThingNY, and improvising groups Preclear and STEREO. He has performed as a guest with the International Contemporary Ensemble, the Low Firm, and Yes A World and has worked alongside sopranos Tony Arnold and Lucy Shelton. He has also performed in several festivals such as the International Ensemble Modern Academy Festival and the Sonic Impact Festival in Chicago.
Committed to performing new works by young emerging composers, Alejandro has worked with several composers and given numerous local and world premieres to date. He has worked with composers Jason Eckart, Lee Hyla, Liza Lim, Johannes Maria Staud, Martin Matalon and Kirsten Broberg along with several other young, emerging composers whose pieces he has premiered. He was recently a winner in the Lillian Fuchs Chamber Music competition and was also awarded the Sidney and Mary Kleinman Prize in Composition in 2007 for his work “strangers in our own land”.