Solo Pianist Alexander Xhoja

ALEXANDER XHOJA is a Boston-based, twenty-year-old pianist who is a recent recipient of a full-ride scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. With immense dedication and drive, he enriches the lives and hearts of his listeners by implementing
emotional depth into his sound.

Alexander’s musical journey began at the age of five. Through his piano teacher and musical enthusiast father, he became immersed in the music culture early on. Rather than starting a formal musical education, Alexander developed his musicianship by listening and imitating his musical heroes. As the years went on, Alexander successfully
transitioned from a novice piano player to a formidable pianist with not only exceptionally mature improvisational skills but also a remarkable ability to compose and arrange tunes. At age 11, Alexander was already playing in the greater Boston area alongside many phenomenal musicians, and at 15, he secured a one-year residence with his trio at Central Cafe.

Alexander studied with highly respected pianists such as Damon Carter, Max Haymer, Plamen Karadonev, and Yoko Miwa among others. His biggest inspiration was Chick Corea. Through each concert of Corea’s, his admiration for him grew. Alexander’s fondest memory of his hero was backstage at a concert of his, where Corea would relay
a meaningful message that from then on became his motto.

“This world needs more pianists like us” – Chick Corea

In 2023, Alexander received a “Most Valuable Player” award by the Massachusetts Association of Jazz Education. He has also played at the Mingus festival where he was later invited to sit in with the Mingus Big Band, held the piano bench for the Massachusetts high school All State Jazz Ensemble, and won many state and regional awards for his musicianship.

Alexander graduated from Newton South High School, where he held the piano bench in the Newton South Honors big band. Alexander and his rhythm section received the title of “Outstanding Rhythm Section” in the Essentially Ellington Festival at the Jazz At Lincoln Center in 2021. He also served as the pianist for the Massachusetts all-star jazz big band led by the renowned saxophonist Mike Tucker in the year 2020.

Currently, Alexander is studying at Berklee College of Music under a full scholarship. His strong creative and composing skills make him a keen advocate for the jazz music genre. As an artist, he strives to have emotional integrity within his art and hopes to tell his story through it. To this day, Alexander is proactively pushing himself to create the art he desires and uses this as a means to tell a story that people can listen to and be enriched by. As an active gigging musician playing everywhere to best expose his sound, Alexander has made a commitment to himself to build his musicianship and attain a high level of artistry.