Alec Watts brings a New Jazz Quartet to St Jude's

Alec, Michael and Jack brought our 2022 Series to a close in December; it was a fantastic concert. We look forward to hosting Alec, a local to Wollongong, a second time; more information on the quartet is coming.

Meet Alec

Alec Watts is in his third year of studying a Bachelor of Performance Jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under the guidance of jazz greats such as David Theak, Kevin Hunt and Craig Scott. Alec has performed across Sydney, from small Jazz Bars to great fashion shows. Having gained the prestigious Bari Sax Chair in the ANJO Youth Big Band in 2022, he performed in Sydney, Wollongong and Perth, playing a set of original Australian compositions by Vanessa Perica.

"IN 2022, Alec toured north-western NSW with the Barayagal Choir, run by YARN Australia, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Open Academy Sydney Conservatorium of Music and directed by Yuwaalaraay songwriter Nardi Simpson. The experience informed his work for the December concert at the Gallery: "Utilising the broad palette of sound the woodwind instruments can produce, I aim to further understand the rich indigenous people's cultures of this land through composing music that draws on their culture." There were moments when many thought the sounds of a didgeridoo rather than a saxophone resonated through the gallery." Read More About Alec's 2022 Jazz Performance in The Illawarra Flame

Image - Michael Dominis, Alec Watts, and Jack Quinn in the December Emerging Artist Concert Series, photograph by Dom O'Donnell.