Philip Henry Alejo

Interests

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Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Presentations

• Alejo, P. H. (2019, June). Essential Double Bass Skills for the Music Educator. International Society of Bassists Conference. Bloomington.
  More info

  This session will address common issues encountered by music students learning the double bass and provide practical solutions to the music educator for improved performance. Special attention will be paid to setting up bass players in a way that corresponds to good health and better access to the body's musculature.

Reviews

• Alejo, P. H. (2021. Hawktail, "Unless"(pp Volume 43, Number 3; Page 44). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2021. New editions from I Musicanti Publishing by Josep Cervera-Bret(pp Volume 43, Number 3; Page 41). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2021. Sean Conly, "Hard Knocks"(pp Volume 43, Number 3; Page 42). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2018. Diego Zecharies (Diego Zecharies). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2018. Fantasies (Nicholas Recuber). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2018. Into the Light, Iceland Romance, Sonata, and While I'm Still Here (Martin Wind). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2018. Pisces (Craig Butterfield and Jesse Jones). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2018. Sonata (Karsten Lauke). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2017. Concerto No. 2 in G(pp P. 44). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2017. Leap of Faith(pp P. 59-60). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2017. Monk Fish Tango(pp P. 60). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2017. Romance, Op. 44 No. 1(pp P. 46). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. A Night in Compostela(pp P. 64-65). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. A Suo Amico: Music from the Repertoire of Domenico Dragonetti and Robert Lindley(pp P. 67-68). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Basso Bailando(pp P. 66). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Cello and Double Bass Ensemble Music: A Bibliography of Music for Three or More Cells or Double Basses(pp P. 68). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Concerto No. 16 in D Major (T16)(pp P. 67-68). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Contrabass Dance(pp P. 67). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Josephine's Jam(pp P. 64). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Life(pp P. 72). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Mastering the Bow, Part 2: Spiccato(pp P. 66-67). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Perfectest Herald(pp P. 74-75). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Portraits for Friends, Books I - IV(pp P. 67). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. Sonate, BWV 1013 (originally for flute/recorder); Etude, BWV 598 (from the Pedal-Exercitium, originally for organ)(pp P. 65). Dallas.
• Alejo, P. H. (2016. You Got This(pp P. 66-67). Dallas.

Others

• Alejo, P. H. (2018, April). American Chamber Winds: Radix Tyrannis. Mark Records.
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  Performer on recording of Stravinsky, Varèse, Weber, Torke, Mozart, and BaslerWith David Waybright, conductor and Joseph Alessi, trombone
• Alejo, P. H. (2018, January). Riders of the Purple Sage: The Making of a Western Opera, Riders of the Purple Sage: Presented by Arizona Opera. http://www.ridersoperafilm.com and Quantum Leap Productions.
  More info

  Orchestra member

Creative Works

• Findeisen Opus 14, Etudes 1-8; September 2020; Facebook; I began a project in September 2020 to study and record Findeisen Opus 14, some of the most fiendish etudes in the double bass repertoire. To date, I have recorded Etudes 1-8. The etudes have had hundreds of views on Facebook and have led to many interactions with bassists from across the country. 
• Oxygen; Double Bass and Harp Duo; September 2017; River Town Duo (Philip Alejo, double bass and Claire Happel, harp) commissioned composer Stephen Taylor (Professor of Music, Chair of Music Theory-Composition at the University of Illinois) to write a new work. Workshopped on the University of Illinois campus on 8/15-16.Oxygen for harp and doublebass I. PhlogistonII. Betaglobin III. PulseIV. Hemoglobin alphaV.CalxOxygen’s first, third and final movements are fanciful descriptions: fire at the beginning and end, breath in the middle. The second and fourth movements, though, are based on the gene hemoglobin, which transports oxygen. Philip’s bass uses crazy techniques to describe twenty different amino acids: some are attracted to water (hydrophilic), some are repelled (hydrophobic), etc. Claire, meanwhile, in the second movement uses prepared strings to play the four letters of DNA, a,c,t,g; in the fourth movement her graceful scales portray the secondary structure, or the shape of the hemoglobin protein. Oxygen is dedicated to Philip and Claire.-Stephen Andrew Taylor, 2017
• I. Early Morning, New Hampshire II. linen of words; Double Bass and Harp Duo; September 2016; River Town Duo (Philip Alejo, double bass and Claire Happel, harp) commissioned composer Evan Premo to write a new work. Evan premiered his own double concerto for violin and bass, “Simple Mysteries” inspired by the nature poetry of Mary Oliver. His chamber opera, “The Diaries of Adam and Eve” (text by Mark Twain) was commissioned by the Pine Mountain Music and has been staged several times most recently featuring the Bergonzi String Quartet.
• River Town Duo interview with David Osenberg; WWFM, WWPJ, WWNJ, WWCJ; November 2020; Cadenza with David Osenberg; River Town Duo was featured in an hour-long episode of Cadenza with David Osenberg, winner of the 2014 ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Radio Broadcast Award.https://www.wwfm.org/programs/cadenza-david-osenberg
• Interview with Xavier Foley; Arizona Friends of Chamber Music; November 2020; https://arizonachambermusic.org; I conducted and recorded a 40-minute conversation/interview with Xavier Foley (international soloist, Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, Sphinx Competition winner) to accompany Foley's streaming recital engagement for the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music. 
• Invited Solo Recital; Conference presentation; ISB; May 2021; International Society of Bassists, Virtual Convention; I presented an unedited recorded recital featuring music by Lera Auerbach, Sofia Gubaidulina, Andrés Martin, Nicholas Walker, and Evan Premo. Recitals for the ISB Conventions are awarded via competitve application. I had planned to perform as River Town Duo, but opted for an all-solo performance due to the pandemic. 
• "COVID Opus 2" (CO-Op 2); Casio Music Gear; May 2020; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA5JwQw8QO4; Casio presents the world premiere of "COVID Opus 2" (CO-Op 2), an original piece composed and performed by Anthony Patterson. I contributed the bass part.
• Sueños; Double Bass and Piano; May 2017; Jeremy Kurtz-Harris (San Diego Symphony) organized a Consortium Commission of composer Andrés Martín. Andrés Martín directs Contrabajos de Baja California A.C. and is a member of the “Orquesta de Baja California” and “Cuatro para Tango”, a chamber ensemble with whom he has released four recordings. I participated as a member of this consortium, along with nineteen other professional bassists.
• Language that connects: employing metaphor to empower students in studio teaching; Conference presentation; ASTA; March 2021; American String Teachers Association National Conference (virtual); ABSTRACT: Choosing the right words in the teaching studio is more important than ever. If it is not possible to demonstrate or adjust in person, how can a studio teacher communicate important concepts and movements with language? And, even if student and teacher do share the same space, how can language be used most meaningfully and effectively? When employed with purpose and clarity, metaphor calls upon what a student already knows to develop skills and abilities in a new area. This session will explore ways to connect with metaphor and to enrich the conversation between student and teacher.
• Casio Showcase; Conference presentation, premiere performance; MTNA; March 2021; Music Teachers National Association National Conference (virtual); I took part in a roundtable discussion on musical collaboration during the era of Covid-19 with Tony Patterson, Casey Robards, and Fangye Sun, moderated by Richard Formidoni from Casio. The session ended with the premiere performance of Co-Op 5 by Tony Patterson, a new composition commissioned for the event. I recorded the bass part for the performance.
• On Lotusland; Double Bass and Harp Duo; June 2015; River Town Duo (Philip Alejo, double bass and Claire Happel, harp) commissioned composer Frederick Evans (UA, MM 2015) to write a new work.  The result, On Lotusland, was premiered at the International Society of Bassists Convention in June 2015.
• Leaves and Space; Double Bass and Harp Duo; June 2015; River Town Duo (Philip Alejo, double bass and Claire Happel, harp) commissioned composer Hannah Lash (Yale) to write a new work.  The result, Leaves and Space, was premiered at the International Society of Bassists Convention in June 2015.  Ms. Lash has since performed the work on two series: Yale's New Music New Haven and the NY PHIL BIENNIAL at The Greene Space in New York City.  
• River Town Duo: For Claire & Philip; https://furiousartisans.com/catalog/river-town-duo-for-claire-philip/; January 2021; Furious Artisans (distributed by New Focus Recordings, Naxos, and Amazon); River Town Duo’s debut album, For Claire & Philip, features newly commissioned works written by six compelling 21st century American composers. Performed by double bassist Philip Alejo and harpist Claire Happel Ashe, this captivating recording shares the beguiling sounds of a unique chamber music pairing. For Claire and Philip is the culmination of River Town Duo’s collaborations with composers Caroline Shaw, Whitney Ashe, Derick Evans, Hannah Lash, Evan Premo, and Stephen Andrew Taylor.
• The Circuitous Six; Double Bass and Harp Duo; August 2016; River Town Duo (Philip Alejo, double bass and Claire Happel, harp) commissioned composer Whitney Ashe to write a new work. Ashe is an inventive composer whose classical and jazz compositions have been recorded for television (Warner Bros.) and theater (The Public Theater, NYC).
• Masterclass at Glendale Community College (AZ)
• Masterclass at University of Texas, El Paso
• Tucson Symphony; 1/7, 1/9: Mendelssohn, Symhony 11/21, 1/23: Mahler, Symphony 4 and Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 19152/11, 2/13: Williams, Star Wars in Concert2/18, 2/20: Ellington, Harlem and Ravel, Le Valse5/11: Young People's Concerts
• Bay View Music Festival; 6-week appointment as Artist-FacultyWeekly performances on Sunday evening Vesper concerts and Wednesday evening chamber music concertsSelected performances:Patterson, Co-op Opus 7; Carlos Gardel, tangos; Mower, Sontata Latino; Django Reinhardt, Minor Swing; Arlen, "I Had Myself a True Love"
• Tucson Symphony Orchestra; 9/16, 9/17: Revueltas, La noche de los mayas and Moncayo, Tierra del temporal9/23, 9/25: Tchaikovsky, Symphony 510/14, 10/16: Ravel, Mother Goose Suite and Stravinsky, The Firebird10/29, 10/30: Coco in Concert12/2, 12/4: Dvorak, New World Symphony
• Rain Song: Musical Performance for the Sonoran Desert; A collaboration between the Fred Fox School of Music and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Art InstituteWith Sara Fraker (oboe), Jackie Glazier (clarinet), Daniel Linder (piano), and Marissa Olegario (bassoon)World premiere of The Rain Song (for double bass, baritone, and electronics) by Kay He, featuring poetry by UA Regents' Professor Ofelia ZepedaWorld premiere of Canto Hondo (for double bass and baritone) by José Daniel Vargas, featuring poetry by Francisco Alarcón
• Path of Heart; Mixed media; I recorded works for string quartet by composer Eric Johnsen. The recording was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this summer we decided to record each track separately to limit in-person interaction.
• Guest Artist, Orquesta Esperanza Azteca (Ciudad Juarez, Mexico); Masterclass for double bass and cello students and teachers30-minute solo recital30-minute Q&A with full orchestra
• Voices in the Oaks, Oracle Center for the Arts; Performance of Shearing, Songs and Sonnets and a solo by Rachmaninoff, VocaliseDirected by Mirae Lee
• St. Philip's Sings; Performance of music by Arvo Pärtat St. Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church
• For Claire and Philip; River Town Duo received a newly commissioned work by composer Caroline Shaw in June 2014.  We recorded the work for the composer's reference and to be able to apply for grants to support future commissions.  For Claire and Philip was recorded in Foellinger Great Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana and produced by Jesse McQuarters, producer of Exploring Music at WFMT Chicago.  
• American Spirituals Intensive; Singer participant at the invitation of Dr. Everett McCorvey (UKentucky)Five ensemble performances in Northern MichiganMasterclass performance for Dr. McCorvey and Kenneth Overton (baritone)
• Faculty Artist Recital Series, Holsclaw Hall, UA; With Darren Cueva (bass)Performance of Lera Auerbach, Memory of a Tango and Monolog; Gubaidulina, from Eight Etudes; Walker, Chorale; Henze, S. Biagio 9 Agosto ore 1207; Anderson, Seven Bass Duets; and Piazzolla, Kicho
• Works by Taylor, Shaw, Premo, Ashe, Lash, and Evans; Edited and Mastered; River Town Duo recorded commisions by Caroline Shaw (For Claire and Philip), Evan Premo (Early Morning, New Hampshire; linen of words), Hannah Lash (Leaves; Space), Frederick Evans (On Lotusland), Whitney Ashe (Circuitous Six), and Stephen Taylor (Oxygen) between 2017-2019. I edited and mastered all of these tracks with Wiley Ross during Fall 2019. The recording will be submitted for publication with a professional lable in Spring 2020.