Alex Hargreaves
Violinist Alex Hargreaves is an active performer, having played on stages around the world including Austin City Limits, A Prairie Home Companion, Panama Jazz Festival, Bonnaroo, Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, as well as venues in Europe and South Korea.
At age 17, Alex became a member of world-renowned mandolinist Mike Marshall’s Big Trio, along with bassist Paul Kowert (Punch Brothers) and toured with the trio extensively following the 2008 release of their self-titled album on Adventure Music. From 2007 – 14, Alex regularly toured with singer/multi-instrumentalist, Sarah Jarosz, appearing on three of her critically acclaimed albums, as well as being featured on her Grammy-nominated instrumental, Mansinneedof. In addition, he has toured with Jerry Douglas, David Grisman, Bela Fleck, Danilo Perez and Darol Anger.
Throughout his career, Alex has received countless honors including the Daniel Pearl Memorial Violin from Mark O’Connor’s Strings Conference, as well as being the youngest ever (age 15) to win National Oldtime Fiddlers’ Contest in Weiser, Idaho. In October 2010, at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Alex was awarded the Jimmy Lyons Scholarship, a full tuition scholarship to the Berklee College of Music.
In February, 2010, Alex’s debut album, Prelude (Adventure Music) was released, featuring master acoustic musicians Mike Marshall, Grant Gordy and Paul Kowert, and special guests Bela Fleck and Noam Pikelny. David Grisman comments, “[Alex] plays with wit, authority and soulfulness belying his years. In my opinion, he’s destined to be one of the fiddle giants of the 21st century.”
In pursuit of his passion for jazz and improvisational-based music, Alex completed the prestigious Berklee Global Jazz Institute at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Under the artistic direction of world-renowned pianist Danilo Perez, this new program admits only a handful of students each year, providing them with the opportunity to work one-on-one with a select group of faculty. Perez invited Alex to tour with his trio, as well as record on Perez’s album, Panama 500(Mack Avenue Records), released in February 2014. The all-star lineup on the recording includes jazz icons Brian Blade, Ben Street, and others.
