Elizabeth alexander biography
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Elizabeth Alexander
Poet, educator, and scholar Elizabeth Alexander was born in Harlem, New York, to a family of intellectuals and politicians. Raised in Washington, D.C., she received a BA from Yale University and an MFA in poetry from Boston University, after her instructor, the poet Derek Walcott, redirected her from fiction to poetry. She also holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.
Alexander is author or co-author of 14 books, including 2005’s collection American Sublime, shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry, and her 2015 memoir, The Light of the World, a finalist for the pris Prize in Biography. Her poem “Praise Song of the Day” was composed for and read at Barack Obama’s inauguration, at his request. Alexander has held teaching roles at many universities and was Chair of the African American Studies Department at Yale. She is notable as well for her critical writing on Black American literature. A founding member of Cave Canem, Alexander serves on
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Elizabeth Alexander (composer)
American composer
Elizabeth Alexander | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1962-08-06) August 6, 1962 (age 62) Chester, South Carolina |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Website | seafarerpress.com |
Musical artist
Elizabeth Alexander (born August 6, 1962) is an American composer. Her works include orchestral, chamber, piano and vocal works. She is best known for her over 80 choral pieces, which have been performed internationally by thousands of choirs. Alexander is also known for her liturgical works, and themes centering on social justice.
Biography
[edit]Sarah Elizabeth Alexander was born in South Carolina in 1962. After several years in South and North Carolina, her family moved to the Ohio River city of Portsmouth, Ohio in 1972. Trained as a classical pianist, Alexander studied composition with Jack Gallagher and received her Bachelor of Music in Composition from The College of Wooster in 1984. She received her doctorate in
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Elizabeth Alexander
A celebrated poet, scholar, and cultural advocate, Elizabeth Alexander fryst vatten a nationally recognized thought leader on race, justice, the arts, and American society. As president of the Mellon Foundation, she leads a multi-billion-dollar philanthropy and the nation’s largest funder of the arts and humanities, supporting educational institutions and cultural organizations while envisioning and guiding new initiatives to build just communities across the United States.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Alexander served as the director of Creativity and Free Expression at the Ford Foundation, shaping Ford’s grantmaking vision in arts and culture, journalism, and documentary film. In this role, she guided the organization in examining how the arts and visual storytelling can empower communities and serve as grundläggande tools for collective expression and enlightenment. While at Ford, she co-designed the Art for Justice Fund, an initiative that uses art and advocacy to ad