Alex Underwood
President-Elect
Alex Underwood's Bio:
Alex Underwood is an advocate for choral music, devoting his work to the development of music structures in Kansas. Born and raised in Russell, Alex studied music education and vocal performance at Sterling College before returning to Russell to teach 6-12th grade vocal music from 2008-2012. From there, he earned a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ where he performed regularly with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Upon completion of his dissertation, Alex will receive his doctorate in Choral Conducting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where his research focuses on rural music education and interdisciplinary performance projects. In 2014, he founded the Ad Astra Music Festival, a series of classical concerts in Russell each July that brings world-class music to rural Kansas. It draws artists who regularly perform with some of the most well-known cultural institutions like the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Choir at Trinity Wall Street. The festival is a space for visiting artists to collaborate with local students, amateur musicians, and professional Kansas musicians to create music together, a formula that has produced a thrilling result. Alex teaches vocal music at Hays High School where he leads the choral music program, teaches AP Music Theory, a Musical Theatre class, and directs the musical. He believes that all students deserve a robust and impactful music experience and is passionately interested in tackling the challenges facing teachers and student musicians. Outside of his work, Alex enjoys traveling, spending time with his family in Russell, binging shows on Netflix, drinking a great iced coffee or a well-crafted cocktail, and reading trashy novels.
Alex Underwood's Vision Statement:
As we look to the future of choral music in our state, I think it’s important we affirm and celebrate the many successes around us as well as look for ways to lift up those in need of support. Having the opportunity to see diverse ways to choir* outside the state of Kansas, I fondly think to the many ways our choirs bring joy and artistry throughout our communities. Whether it’s a choir of children, college students, worshipers, professional singers, community members, or middle and high school students, KCDA can be a place to learn from each other, lift one another up, and share resources to promote a thriving, healthy choral experience for every singer in our state.
A core element of my choir philosophy is programming music from our own cultural backgrounds as well as music outside our personal heritages. This plays out in my work at Hays High School and at the Ad Astra Music Festival. From opera to hip hop, Dolly Parton to Pentatonix, from 11th century chant to musical theatre, from Bach motets to the latest Pulitzer Prize winner, there is both function and beauty in the full range of vocal music. By affirming our own cultural music, it validates our heritage and strengthens our identities; by exploring authentic performances outside our cultural backgrounds, we expand our worldviews and potential selves. It may sound lofty, but I believe this approach is potent in transforming the lives of our singers and audiences. It promotes both positive self-images and empathy for those different from us. When I think about what choral music can do for our world, these two factors are at the powerful center of our art form.
Not only do I model this philosophy, but I have invited conversation around these issues through a TED Talk I wrote for the 2018 TEDxDenver and presented on the topic at KMEA in February 2020 with my instrumental teaching colleagues. I put this into action serving on KSHSAA’s Prescribed Music List committee where I advocated for more inclusive options.
How does KCDA fit in? It leads the charge. We have the resources and structure to develop ourselves professionally and on our own terms. How empowering is it for us to choose what we want to learn and who we want to be? As a leader, I enjoy listening to those impacted by my decision-making, discovering and sharing potential solutions, and then confidently implementing our visions so they become our realities. It is not out of reach. These principles have guided my professional life and their efficacy is born out in the organizations I’ve led.
What do you hope KCDA to be? How can it serve you and your singers? How can we use choral music to transform our world into a more peaceful and just place for everyone who inhabits it? As president, these questions will be the place I start.
*Yes, I sometimes use choir as a verb.
