TRICIA ALEXANDER: Human Being, Musician, Singer, Performance Poet, BodyTalker, Reiki Master Teacher

Exquisite voice . . . Accomplished rhythm guitarist,
Powerhouse harmonica player!

Tricia Alexander has been singing for as long as she can remember. She was raised on 'old country' Assyrian music, the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Rosemary Clooney and the Smother's Brothers (which - if you've seen her perform - explains a lot!). She began playing guitar in her late teens; she swears it was an act of musical revenge, "Guitarists were always getting really mad at me because I didn't want to sing the songs the way they were already being done - I mean Dylan already did Dylan, I didn't want to be Dylan - I just wanted to be Tricia."

In college (after flunking music theory twice), she got serious about playing the guitar and about reinterpreting other people's songs - making them uniquely her own. She also started writing songs. Rich Warren (of WFMT's Midnight Special and Chicago Magazine) said she "has one of the most GORGEOUS voices" and is " ... particularly adept at interpretations of other contemporary singer-songwriters." The Folk Music Source Book described her own material as "intelligent, contemporary writing." in the same league as Anne Hills, Cheryl Wheeler, Holly Near, Christine Lavin, John McCutcheon, Nancy Griffith and John Gorka.

Tricia is also an accomplished guitarist and harmonica player, a performance poet, an award winning facilitator of creativity and self expression - and a Reiki Master / teacher.

She combines her ability to vocally channel Reiki energy with her love for music, spoken word and humor. Weaving together the best of jazz, blues and folk, she creates concerts that are entertaining, soothing and joy-filled.

During the last 30 years, she's opened for some of acoustic music's greats including: Loudin Wainwright III, Steve Goodman and Jethro Burns, Chris Williamson and Tret Fure. Her double bill concerts include: Bill Camplin, Darkwood Consort, Dev Singh, Garnet Rogers, Pete Morton, Small Potatoes and the people she's shared the concert stage with reads like a 'Who's who" of the chicago Music scene.

Early in her career, Tricia served as an Artist in Residence for both the Chicago Council on Fine Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. Then in the mid 80’s, she began touring extensively throughout America and Great Britain (she's also given concerts and workshops in Canada and India). In the late 80's, she served as Free Street Theatre's Associate Artistic Director, serving the Cabrini Green Community and directing FREE STREET, TOO (the first professional touring company comprised entirely of Elders).

Tricia's music, literary projects, and community-based workshops have received awards both in America and Great Britain: Williams Prize (England), Spectrum Awards (Scotland), Joseph Jefferson Special Honors Citation (Illinois), Special Recognition Award (Chicago Council on Fine Arts, Illinois).

For more than 30 years, Tricia's been performing, facilitating, mentoring, directing and writing - always steering true to her original course, "to stay with community." She's appeared on festival stages and in theaters, in living rooms and coffeehouses, in schools, hospitals and prisons. She has released three CDs (Grace, Make Me Your Song, Trishmas Carols), three cassettes (Entirely Too Much Tricia, Love That Strains the Heart, Alexander Noelle, one 45rpm record, one poetry 'chapbook' (The Path of Love) and one poetry journal (Moon Cycle). She also has to her credit four self-published chapbooks of poetry and art created by inner city youth during her Creativity and the Self workshops at Cabrini Green and in Rogers Park - and one chamber orchestra composition (Children’s Suite). Tricia served on the creative teams that birthed several other classical pieces, several small community theater pieces and one award-winning full-length musical theater documentary, Project! (with Free Street Theater and Chicago's Cabrini Green Community).

During the last 15 years, she's been studying energy medicine and has added a couple of the healing arts (Reiki and BodyTalk) to her repertoire. she's alsoThese days, d she's started a small private practice - which she hopes will continue to grow gently as she eases back on her touring. She’s working on both a new CD and a new book of poetry, Hymns to Her - and after many years of dreaming about it, she lives in the country.

CONCERT / PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS

Peace Jam - Conference with the Dalai Lama (IN)

The Song Is Love! - A Concert in the Chapel, Unity Northwest Church (IL)

Fearlessness and Healing: Concert Dialogue School for the Intuitive Arts & Sciences (IL)

Forgiveness and Healing: Concert Dialogue, School for the Intuitive Arts & Sciences (IL)

Gratitude: Chapel Concert, First Congregational UCC, A Thanks Giving Event (IL)

Grace, A Concert in the Chapel: First Congregational United Church of Christ, (IL)

Four Directions Concert: Munsee Stockbridge Mohican Community (WI)

Little Company of Mary Hospital Women's Wellness Conference (IL)

Women's Wellness Conference (2 years) Opening Keynote, Closing Keynote (MI)

Peace Witness Concert UMC, San Raphael (CA)

Songs of Peace and Justice, First Congregational United Church of Christ, (IL)

Songs of Spirit Baba Concert - Sufi Bookstore (NY)

New Horizon's Centre: A Musical Celebration of Diversity (UK)

Dixon State Correctional Center - Annual concerts for the women's population (IL)

Woodstock Opera House (IL) 2 concerts

. . . . . open for Steve Goodman and Jethro Burns,

. . . . . open for Loudin Wainwright, III)

The Bog Theatre, Featured Performer (IL)

The Discovery Theatre, Featured Performer (MI)

Theatre Royal Stratford East (England)

Albany Empire Theatre (England)

COMMUNITY ARTS DEVELOPMENT

1998 - 2000 Illinois Arts Council, Arts-in-Education

· Collaborate with community arts and education administrators to design and implement in-school residencies

1989 - 1999 United Methodist Church, Artist / Facilitator (Rev. John Auer)

· Design and facilitate youth multi-arts and performance after-school programs (once yearly, CA)

· Design and facilitate youth multi-arts after-school programming for teens-at-risk (on-going / 1993-1991, IL)

· Guide teen ensemble to create performances, art exhibits and self-publish poetry books (on-going / 1993-1991, IL)

1990 - 1993 Inight Arts, Co-Artistic Director, Community Arts Development

· Design and facilitate multi-arts and performance programming (after school and summer programming)

· Create and maintain ARTSPACE: a safe space for women for all ages to create art, poetry and performance

· Co-Direct on-going teen performance ensemble

1984 - 1992 Free Street Theater, Assoc. Artistic Director (1989 - 1991), Community Arts

1984 - 1992 Primary Creative Team Member: Workshop Designer - Facilitator, Librettist, Performance Coach

· Project Designer / Co-Director: Teen- Elder performance ensemble (collaborative performance series, 1991)

Director: Free Street, Too (professional Elder touring theater ensemble, 1989 - 1991

SCHOOL CONCERT / DIALOGUES - HIGHLIGHTS

Lincolnshire Middle School Fine Arts Day School (IL)

Concert/Dialogue: Blues and Humor (3rd & 4th Grade)

Johnny's Kids (MI)

Concert/Dialogue: Blues and Humor (Developmentally Disabled Teens)

Southwestern College (Residency) (KS)

Concert/Dialogue: Creativity and the Artist Self.

Coffeeville Humanities Series, A Feeling Called the Blues

5 days of concert-dialogues with Elders, College and Youth populations (KS)

FESTIVALS - HIGHLIGHTS ___________________________

DAFT Festival - Mainstage Performer (MI)

Heritage Festival Folkstage - Performer (IL)

Lake County Folk Festival - Mainstage Performer (IL)

Woodstock Folk Festival - Mainstage Performer (IL)

CONCERT SERIES - HIGHLIGHTS ______________________

KOG Concert Series (WI)

MAMAs Concert Series (MI)

Kingslight Concert Series (MI)

Portland Folklore Society (OR)

Mast House Concert Series (IL)

Delta Folks Concert Series (MI)

Off The Square Concert Series (IL)

Bill’s Blues Folk Concert Series (IL)

Maple Street Chapel Concert Series (IL)

Endangered Singer Songwriter House Concert (WI)

Cafe Carpe, intimate concert setting (WI)

Stage Left Cafe (IL) intimate concert setting

Johnny's Speakeasy, intimate concert setting (MI)

World Folk Music Company, intimate concert setting (IL)

Edgar's Place, church-based, multi-generational concert setting (IL)

Two Way Street Coffee House. church-based, multi-generational concert setting (IL)

__________________________________________________

CHURCH SERVICES Service Leader (talk and music)

Unitarian Universalist Church (Park Forest, IL)

. . . . . The Spiritual Aspects of Healing (2006)

. . . . . Living in a State of Grace (2007)

. . . . . The Art of Gratitude (2007)

. . . . . Making Peace with the Darkness (2007)

. . . . . The Art of Well Being, a 3-part series: Fearlessness, Acceptance, Gratitude (2008)

. . . . . The Turning of the Year (2008)

SPECIAL MUSIC FOR CHURCH SERVICES

First Congregational United Church of Christ (IL)

Greenwood United Methodist Church (MI)

Interfaith Center for Spiritual Growth (MI)

McHenry County Church of Religious Science (IL)

Science of the Mind (MI)

Silver Winds Church (MI)

Meher Spiritual Center (SC)

Meher Spiritual Center (India)

United Methodist Church (IL)

United Methodist Earth Church (CA)

Unity Church of Lincoln Park (IL)

Unity Northwest Church (IL)

Unity Church of Crystal Lake (IL)

CONCERT DIALOGUES FOR RETREATS

First Congregational United Church of Christ (IL)

. . . Women’s Retreat

. . . Youth Retreat

PERSONAL DISCOGRAPHY

Rampur Records: Celebrating 30 Years (2007, Rampur)

. . . . .Tricia Alexander, Dev Singh, Darkwood Consort, John Jacobs, Gaynor Jenkins

Grace (2003/CD, Rampur)

Make Me Your Song (2003/CD re-releases from earlier cassettes, Rampur)

Trishmas Carols (2002/CD, Another Little Miracle)

Trishmas Carols (1999/Cassette, A Little Miracle)

Love That Strains The Heart (1993/Cassette, Rampur)

Entirely Too Much Tricia (1988/Cassette, Rampur)

Alexander / Noelle (1985/Cassette)

Gay and Straight Together (1980/LP, Folkways Collection: Lately I See)

Woodstock b/w Here We Go Again (1979/45rpm (vocals, harmonica)

ADDITIONAL DISCOGRAPHY

These Bones - Margaret Nelson (2006, CD: vocals)

Balboa - Dev Singh (2003/CD Rampur: vocals)

How Many Lifetimes? - John Marc DeMatteis

. . . . . . . .(Creation Point Media, 1997/CD: Co-producer, guitar, vocals)

Midnight Muse - Jim Gary (1996/CD Bjornson Music: vocals)

Heartscape - Dev Singh (1983/CD Rampur: vocals)

Fresh Produce -Terry MacNamara / Wingwalker (1997/Cassette: harmonica)

Made in Chicago - Dev Singh (1983/LP, Rampur:vocals)

Chicago Style - Friedlander & Hall (LP, vocals)

Cleaning Rag - Ginni Clemmens

. . . . .(1981/LP, Open Door Records, vocals, harmonica)

Gay & Straight Together (1980/LP, Folkways Collection: "Lately I See")

With a voice as big as her heart,
Tricia fuses all parts of life into one harmonic whole.
Fine musician, fine human being.
Kathryn Morski, Delta Area Folk Traditions (MI)