Executive Artistic Director
American pianist Alexandre Marr enjoys an active and diversified career as a soloist, music director, collaborator, educator, and recently appointed Executive Artistic Director of Music from The Western Reserve.
Alexandre’s passion for music and the piano began at age 10 under acclaimed soprano and pianist, Victoria Auth. Following several Ohio solo debut recitals, he continued his studies with Gerardo Teissonnière of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Steinway Artist Donna Lee. Alexandre holds a Master of Music (M.M.) in Piano Performance from Kent State University and now holds a position on the collaborative piano faculty at his alma mater's Hugh A. Glauser School of Music.
In 2010, Alexandre won both the Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University concerto competitions, performing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor with the Kent State Symphony Orchestra in 2012. He has performed in various masterclasses most notably under one of his great musical idols, pianist Michelle Cann. In 2019, he recorded and gave the world premiere of composer Rick Dailey's The Abacus and the Rose, a song cycle for voice and piano, alongside soprano Merissa Coleman. Alexandre's latest music video of Fauré's Élégie, Op. 24with Colombian cellist Alexander Numpaque was featured by Steinway & Sons as part of their 2020 marketing campaign. Alexandre recently took 1st Prize alongside duo partner Greta Pasztor in the 2021 Gloria Artis International Music Competition for a 2 piano recital program featuring the music of Bach, Brahms, Bolcom, and Liszt. Alexandre performs dozens of programs per year, heavily involved in the vibrant classical community of Northeast Ohio, frequently appearing in recitals at Kent State University, The Cleveland Institute of Music, M.U.S.i.C. Stars in the Classics, and member programs for the Akron-based Tuesday Musical series. Most recently Alexandre was honored to be the pianist for the 2023 premier of composer Joel Thompson's new work Dark Matters for choir and piano, collaborating alongside Capital University's renowned Chapel Choir under the direction of Dr. Lynda Hasseler.
In addition to an active performance schedule, Alexandre maintains thriving private studios in both Akron and Cleveland teaching in-person and remote lessons to over 40 weekly students of all ages and skill levels.
Currently, Alexandre serves as Director of Music both at Church of the Western Reserve in Cleveland and at Fairmount Temple in Beachwood. In 2020, he founded the CWR Concert Series, a monthly concert series in Cleveland at Church of the Western Reserve and took on the role of Artistic Director. He holds the position of Collaborative Pianist and Assistant Director for the Akron Symphony Chorus. Previous collaborative appointments have included Akron-based Singers Companye under Samuel Gordon, Cleveland Chamber Choir under Scott McPherson, Temple Israel Akron, and Temple Israel Canton.
Aside from classical music, Alexandre holds a passion for musical theatre. Notable music direction credits include Songs for a New World on stage at Akron's EJ Thomas Hall in 2017 and regional equity productions at Porthouse Theater (Godspell 2022, The Prom 2023). Alongside co-founder Merissa Coleman, Alexandre launched The Cabaret Project in partnership with Akron's BLU Jazz +, one of the nation's top jazz venues. Since 2019, Alexandre has served as a music director in residence for acclaimed vocalist and internet sensation, Natalie Weiss, collaborating regularly on feature concerts across the country, most recently at Chicago's Den Theatre in March of 2023.
An inspiring, in-demand artist and leader, Alexandre looks forward to a future filled with music.