Alexander Lloyd Blake - Encouraging Anti-Racism through Diversity

Making It! with Terry Wollman

Conductor and choral arranger ALEXANDER LLOYD BLAKE is the Founder and Artistic Director of Tonality (www.ourtonality.org), a new choral ensemble focused on spreading a message of unity, peace, and social justice through a culturally diverse choral setting. Blake also serves as the Principal Associate Conductor of the National Children's Chorus (www.nationalchildrenshorus.com), where he conducts both the Los Angeles and New York City branches of the oldest and most experienced singers. Blake’s role will soon include diversity engagement to work toward a more diverse choral membership within the organization. He also serves as the Choir Director at Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) (www.lachsa.net). As an arranger, Blake’s Wade in the Water was a featured arrangement at the North Carolina Music Educators Association convention in 2013 and is published with Santa Barbara Music Publishing. Blake has recently been requested for a commission by the New York City professional ensemble called Inspire to write a work on environmental justice. Blake was recently accepted in the Romano Gandolfi International Choral Conducting Competition in Parma, Italy as one of two conductors from the United States. Other musical activities include an opera conducting premiere at the 2019 Prototype Festival in New York City, and preparing choirs for live performances with UCLA Center for the Art of Performance. Performances include MacArther Fellow Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music and Holiday Sauce concerts and soon Rachel Fuller’s Animal Requiem and Alex Somers’ Dawson City: Frozen Time Live!
Film and TV Credits include singing on the soundtrack of Jordan Peele's "US," Disney’s “Lion King”, and Pixar’s upcoming “Spies in Disguise” film scheduled for release in December 2019. Blake also worked as the choral contractor and vocal arranger for Andy Grammer’s performance at the 2019 ARDYs (Radio Disney Awards).
Blake completed the Doctorate in Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California in 2019. His Master of Music was completed at the University of California Los Angeles in 2014 and Balck completed a Vocal Performance degree at Wake Forest University in 2010. Blake studied conducting at USC with Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe and Dr. Nick Strimple, he has previously studied with Donald Neuen, Dr. Brian Gorelick, Dr. David Hagy, and Dr. David Connell. He has studied composition with Dr. Dan Locklair and choral arranging with Morten Lauridsen.
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