The “stirring” (New York Times), “intoxicating” (Philadelphia Inquirer), and “disarmingly beautiful” (Textura) music of American composer Alex Berko (b. 1995) is characterized by a balance of intimacy and power, a keen sense of lyricism and emotional sensitivity, and a love of narrative.

Recent News

New video of NYO2 performing Unstrung at Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, TX!

Berko’s choral music is featured on two 2023 GRAMMY®-nominated albums! Conspirare’s “House of Belonging” which contains Berko’s Sacred Place and You Through Me and The Crossing’s “Carols After a Plague” which features Exodus were nominated for Best Choral Performance.

Ever since I started composing, my music has seemed to straddle the lines with regard to style, often flirting with various flavors at once. I have always viewed differing styles as various dialects that I can access as a composer in order to accomplish what I am after artistically. Rather than being constricted by the classifications of popular music, jazz, folk, or classical, I view these various genres and influences as palates that I can learn from and use to more fully express myself as a composer.

We are living in a world rich with cross-pollinization and collaboration. We are past the age of the solitary artist and very much in the world of one who co-creates. As it appears to me, some of the most meaningful art in the 21st century thus far has been created through conversation and a continuing dialogue throughout the compositional process with those involved in bringing the new work to life. In my recent experiences, this collaborative aspect has proven to be the most rewarding. 

My recent works have asked questions about human limitations and our responsibility in preserving the truth while simultaneously reacting to the natural beauty of our world. Ultimately, my goal as an artist is to tell relevant stories that encompass all facets of what it means to be human in the world today. It is my hope that the listening of these sonic stories allows you to experience and hear the world a little differently, if not more clearly.