About
Alex Ramirez began his piano studies at age three with Mrs. Tony Lama, wife of the famous boot maker in Texas. After her death he studied piano with Dr. Aryl Paul, chairman of the piano department at the University of Texas. At age five, Alex became the youngest person ever to study piano at the University of Texas. During Middle and High School, he won every major youth piano competition in the state of Texas.
Before entering college, he played as soloist with numerous symphony orchestras in the Southwest including the El Paso Symphony, the Youth Symphony of El Paso, the Houston Civic Orchestra, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Las Cruces, New Mexico Symphony, and the New Mexico State University Symphony Orchestra.
Following his graduation from high school, he entered the University of Texas where he studied piano and double bass with Dr. Neil Stannard. He graduated from the University of Texas with highest honors.
Today he continues his piano studies with his coach of twenty-three years Robert Durso, a faculty member of the Golandsky Institute of Piano. Alex has established a piano studio in our area and teaches many gifted young students as well as music teachers and concert pianists. He is a certified piano instructor in the Golandsky Institute where he continues to participate in their teacher training program. He also serves as music director at the Philadelphia First Church of the Brethren, a position he has held for twenty-one years. He has performed numerous solo recitals in our area, and appears regularly in area concert series and in nursing homes. Upcoming appearances include solo piano recitals in Philadelphia, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. He has also appeared in solo piano recitals sponsored by the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association. Locally he has appeared as piano soloist with the Independence Sinfonia playing the Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 and has appeared as soloist with the Academy Chamber Society Orchestra playing the popular Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin to high acclaim.
As a double bassist, Alex serves as the principal bassist of the Independence Sinfornia under the direction of Jerald Rosen and also plays in the Academy Chamber Society Orchestra under the direction of Michael Kemp.
As a choral conductor, Alex serves as the music director of the Celestia Performing Arts Group, a Horsham, PA based community choir, and directs the choir at the Philadelphia First Church of the Brethren.