Alex Molina Shawver is a composer based in Austin, Texas. Born and raised in Wichita Falls, he is a proud Tejano and band kid at heart. Influences on his compositional style range from the French Impressionists to living American composers associated with Minimalism and post-Minimalism. His instrumental background in both piano and percussion allows him to draw inspiration from both the rich mass of historic keyboard repertoire and the constant invention of new ideas in the percussion paradigm. His works are usually inspired by visual art, nature, and politics.

     

     Alex has been commissioned and had his music performed by the SMU Meadows Wind Ensemble, Latitude 49 New Music Ensemble, Syzygy New Music Ensemble, Meadows Percussion Ensemble, and Bridge the Gap Chamber Players. In June 2021, he was invited to give a solo recital at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas to inaugurate their new multi-form performance space. Alex holds two MM degrees in Composition and Theory Pedagogy from Southern Methodist University where he studied with Dr. Kevin Hanlon, Dr. Rob Frank, and Dr. Lane Harder. He previously studied composition with Dr. Ted Hansen and Dwayne Rice. Alex also holds a B.M. in Piano Pedagogy from Texas A&M – Commerce where he studied piano performance with Dr. Luis Sanchez, piano pedagogy with Libby Vanatta, and percussion with Dr. Brian Zator. Alex taught on faculty at SMU from 2019-2021 and is currently pursuing his DMA in Composition at the University of Texas at Austin.