Photo by Mariana Meraz

ABOUT

Aleksandra M. Weil is a Brooklyn-based composer, singer and teaching artist. Born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Aleksandra’s work often reflects on themes of cultural and political identity, gender inequality, state corruption and the resilience of the human spirit.

Aleksandra is currently developing a new full length musical Group! with longtime writing partner and bookwriter/lyricist Eloise Govedare and bookwriter Julia B. Rosenblatt, which will have a world premier at The Passage Theatre Company in spring of 2022. In addition, she recently received commissions from NYMF and the ASCAP foundation for the “How the Light Gets In” series and the NJPAC Stage Exchange in partnership with the NJ Theatre Alliance. Other select musical theatre and opera works include Goodnight Bär (NYMF/ASCAP);  Silueta (NJPAC);  Uprising (The Tank); Henna Leaves (The International House, The American Opera Project/NYU); A Rebel Prayer (Portsmouth College, NYU, Goodspeed Musicals); Love In The Dark (Dixon Place). Her work has additionally been performed at Feinstein’s/54 Below, Joe’s Pub, Target Margin, Columbia University and on the West Coast at Bumbershoot Festival and The Moore Theater.

Aleksandra holds an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BA in Women Studies from University of Washington.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

From Classical music to Arabic maqams and old Soviet film scores, my musical sensibility straddles the rich and varying traditions of my birthplace - Tashkent - as well as the late grunge and indie rock scene of Seattle; my second home and city where I spent my latter formative years and fronted a theater rock band, Scarlet Room, with my longterm collaborator and writing partner Eloise Govedare. When creating a score, I like to draw inspiration from my characters’ cultural heritage, blending existing musical traditions with contemporary feel and form. Whether I am writing a punk rock musical or an Afghani opera, I yearn to capture the nostalgia for a long lost home while creating a sense of groundedness through melodies that are organic and accessible to the ear.