Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexander Tovar. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Alexander, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
The most recent creative project I’ve embarked on was a sold out concert of a live-to-picture score for piano quintet set to the classic 1929 “Man with a Movie Camera.” The event happened at the Cats Crawl in East Hollywood where I conducted it on March 03. 2024. A trailer of the concert can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt_GfiEI5P8
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Born into a musical family in Los Angeles in 1984, my musical journey began early. By age 10, I had composed my first opera and soon began formal training in piano, trumpet, and guitar. High school found me playing trumpet in Alexander Hamilton High School’s jazz band, where I also wrote a piece for full orchestra, catching the attention of Robert Kraft, president of Fox Music, who introduced me to Philip Glass.
Fresh out of high school, I moved to New York City to work with Glass and Nico Muhly. Later, I returned to Los Angeles to study philosophy at PCC before transferring to the University of Southern California, earning my B.M. in music composition. In college, my piece “Eudaemonia” was performed on 91.5 KUSC.
After graduation, I wrote a piece for Gustavo Dudamel, performed live at Disney Hall. In 2010, I collaborated with Van Dyke Parks, premiering my original score at the Cannes Film Festival.
Venturing into playwriting, I co-wrote “Mr. Genius” and “Much Ado About Rosey” with my father, Gilbert Tovar. I then delved into filmmaking, writing, directing, acting, and scoring my own films. “Nothing in Los Angeles” (2013) and “Show Business” (2015) premiered at festivals worldwide, with the latter winning Best Score at the Milano International Film Festival Awards.
My classical repertoire includes works like the “Hollywood Sonata for Two Pianos” (2017), “Requiem for Orchestra and Choir” (2019), and “Hollywood Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra” (2021). Albums like “Inner Child Music” (2017) and “Madrigals” (2023) complement my diverse portfolio, which spans musicals, documentaries, and award-winning feature films.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
When I wrote my first film, “Nothing in Los Angeles,” I had originally written dialogue that was supposed to be narrated by the main character in post production. When I got to those places, I decided my original music would work better to create those moments on the screen rather than have the audience hear the main character’s thoughts. This allowed me a clever way to intertwine my music into the story without relying on telling the audience how to feel. I was able to use a lot of the empty space in the film and color it with my original music. It made the film feel more personal and eventually more impactful.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding is the ability to show up each day at my studio and listen to my muse and create musical worlds around me. Starting a new piece of music is always the hardest but once I get something I can latch onto, I let my unconscious speak through the music and it brings me a great deal of happiness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexandertovar.com/
- Instagram: alexandertovar_composer
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=3421099
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt_GfiEI5P8
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3WpdFWlOcmiGko7VXN1HIQ?si=WXYd3xXRQW2R18b9IsLVVw