In this episode, composer, percussionist, and handbell director Alex Guebert joins us to share his approach to composition and arranging. He discusses how his love of film scores, progressive rock, and percussive sounds influence his work, as well as the role of improvisation and audiation in his creative process. Alex offers insights on making hymn arrangements more engaging, incorporating composition into lessons, and encouraging students to explore harmonies. He also talks about directing advanced handbell ensembles and co-hosting A Moment of Bach, a podcast exploring the music of J.S. Bach.
Alex Guebert is a composer, arranger, clinician, percussionist, and organist, and is the Director of Worship and Music at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Orange, CA. He directs three advanced-level handbell groups: Cathedral Bells (at St. John’s), Concert Handbells at Concordia University Irvine (as an adjunct faculty there), and Zenith (a summer-only 32-person ensemble made up of ringers from all around the world; co-directed by Matthew Compton.)
Alex’s award-winning handbell compositions and arrangements have been published and performed nationwide and overseas. His compositional style is a result of his background as a percussionist, his love of film and video game score, and his desire to broaden the horizons of handbell repertoire. Alex holds an M.M. in Music Composition from Cal State Long Beach, where his graduate recital featured a 25-minute work for handbells, strings, and percussion.
Alex lives in Orange with his wife Heather, who works for Orange County as a forensic scientist, and their two daughters, Emma Joy and Cora Noelle, who both share their dad’s love of music and their mother’s scientific curiosity about the world!
