Alexandra Gardner | Building Noises

Born into a musical family, Alicia Lee grew up in Michigan where she began her musical studies on the violin and piano at age 4. She made the switch to clarinet at the age of 12. Her orchestral appearances include the Spoleto festivals in Italy and America, the Lucerne Festival Academy, the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony.

Her chamber music experience includes performances at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival, and the Yellow Barn Music Festival, where she has performed for the past three summers.

This Fall, Alicia began her second season as a fellow in The Academy – a program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute. As a part of her fellowship, Alicia is a teaching artist at PS 249K in Brooklyn. Alicia is the associate principal and eb clarinet player of the Santa Barbara Symphony, a position she has held since the Fall of 2006. She has performs in New York with a variety of groups, including the Knights, the Talea Ensemble, and ICE. Alicia holds a B.A. in French Language and Literature from Columbia University, an M.M. in clarinet performance from the University of Southern California, as well as a Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn School.

How did you get started playing your instrument, and how did it turn into a career?
I come from an extremely musical family – my dad is a pianist and conductor, mom is a pianist, brother is a violinist, and sister is a cellist. It was sort of never even a question of whether or not we would play instruments. I started on violin at around 4 years old, shifted to piano around 5 or 6, and then shifted to clarinet at around 11. I was always a serious music student but never thought I’d go into it as a career when I was in high school. I went to college thinking I’d figure out some sort of career that would be super lucrative. That, however, never happened. Though I was a French major all throughout undergrad, I made a decision by the end of my first year that I could not not be a musician professionally. I suppose in the end it’s just in my blood.

Talk about one of your most satisfying musical performance experiences.
Although I come from this musical family, we have practically no opportunities to all play together! On two occasions, however, we’ve been asked to do a family concert in Michigan (where I grew up). Both times it’s been a totally amazing and fun experience. We put together programs of mostly duos and trios (in different combinations) and then ended with an arrangement that my dad did of a Strauss Waltz (“The Artist’s Life” – clever right?) for piano four hands, violin, cello, and clarinet. It’s so different to be with your family in a more professional context and is so interesting to explore.

What gets you interested in/inspired by/excited about playing a new piece of music?
One of the things that I love most about seeing a new piece, and specifically a contemporary piece, is having to figure it out like a puzzle. I like working through really thorny, dense rhythms in a kind of mathematical way and then figuring out how to make it sound musical.

What is your listening “guilty pleasure?”
Probably Beyoncé. And Alicia Keys. And no, I don’t feel guilty!

What projects do you have coming up that we should know about?
I have a few things scheduled that I’m particularly excited about: I play in a group called Ensemble ACJW and this season we started doing a little series at Le Poisson Rouge in New York where we are in charge of all the programming. We have shows on February 24, April 28, and June 13. On February 24 I am playing 2 duos: “Last” by Philippe Manoury for marimba and bass clarinet and “Suite im hexachord” by Stefan Wolpe for oboe and clarinet. All the shows should be a lot of fun.

Please answer: If I were not a musician, I would be a ________, because _________.
If I were not a musician, I would be some kind of small business owner. Not sure what kind of business – probably clothes. There’s something very appealing to me in the idea of owning something that would be very representative of myself. Good thing I’m not actually trying to do that in this economy.