Alex Taylor is one of New Zealand’s leading young composers of orchestral and chamber music. His music has been performed by prominent artists, including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Ben Hoadley, 175 East and the NZTrio.

He completed his Masters in Composition under the supervision of Dr Eve de Castro-Robinson and Associate Professor John Elmsly at Auckland University in 2011. Alex’s works have been featured in concerts in New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, America and Europe.
In 2012 Alex was the youngest recipient to date of the SOUNZ Contemporary Award for his work [inner] for viola and orchestra, for which he was also awarded the NZSO-Todd Young Composer Award, as well as the Orchestra’s Choice Award. He has won numerous prizes and scholarships through Auckland University, including winning the 2009 Lilburn Trust Competition. 2012 saw Alex complete a residency with the NZSO-National Youth Orchestra, and commissions for the NZTrio, 175 East and The Committee. Alex was the recipient of the 2013 CANZ Trust Fund Award and the 2013 APRA Professional Development Award. Projects in 2013 included commissions for Westlake Boys High School, Ben Hoadley, and the Rothko Quartet. Alex’s work featured in the NZSO-SOUNZ-RNZC Recordings, the Auckland Pride Festival, the Big Sing, and numerous chamber music events.
With Louise Webster he convened the 2014 CANZ Nelson Composers Workshop and he will convene the 2015 workshop with Chris Gendall.

Alex has recently become more involved in scoring for theatre, collaborating on productions of Cloud 9 and Soo Young the Musical. In November 2014 Alex was the New Zealand Young Composer representative at the Asian Composers League Festival in Tokyo. Next year he will be the Caselberg Trust Creative Connections Artist in Residence from April to June.
As well as being a composer, Alex curates the Intrepid Music Project, a series of contemporary arts events focusing on new music and poetry.

He plays a variety of instruments, including violin, saxophone and piano, sings, conducts, and writes on musical and non-musical topics, including as a contributor to the listener blog. He is a member of the CANZ committee and editor of the Canzonetta newsletter. He also teaches composition and orchestration at Auckland University. He has performed in a variety of groups including Auckland Youth Orchestra, DSCH String Quartet, the Blackbird Ensemble, the Dissonance Quartet, Live Live Cinema and Dr Colossus.

Alex is a regular contributor to the LOUNGE poetry readings and his poems have been published in Potroast, minarets and JAAM. His first poetry collection vocoder lorry is scheduled for release in early 2015, published by Compound Press.