Alex Roche

Biography

Alex Roche is a multi-prizewinning guitarist, arranger, composer and dedicated teacher based in Taunton. He has performed solo recitals in venues such as St.Martin-in-the-Fields, St.James’s Piccadilly, Blackheath Halls as well as internationally in Taiwan (for the Taiwan Guitar Society), Canada, United States of America and the Cayman Islands. He has also performed as a concerto soloist, notably with a Royal Birmingham Conservatoire orchestra at the CBSO centre, Birmingham.

As well as a classical guitar recitalist, he has many years of experience performing in orchestra pits, jazz ensembles, rock bands and function bands on electric and bass guitars, drum kit, orchestral percussion, banjo and ukulele.

He received his 1st class Bachelors degree from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and his Masters degree (Distinction) from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance as a Leverhulme Trust Scholar.

Alex won the Birmingham Conservatoire Guitar Competition, Conservatoire Strings Etudes Prize, Alison Stephens competition and the Montagu Cleeve award. He was also awarded second prize in the Worshipful Company of Musicians' prestigious Ivor Mairants Prize.

In 2018 Alex was invited back to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire to give a recital and gave the world premiere performance of a lost guitar work by English Composer William Lloyd-Webber (father of Andrew and Julian), attended by the then principal Julian Lloyd-Webber. Alex has premiered other solo guitar works by Sabino de Bari and Marisa Lopez as well as being in the orchestra for the premiere of Michael Walters' opera Ava’s Wedding.

In a duo alongside mezzo soprano Samantha Oxborough, Alex has performed to capacity audiences at the Royal Albert Hall, Oxford Town Hall and Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. In 2019 the duo was invited to perform alongside internationally acclaimed baritone Roderick Williams OBE (Guildhall School alumnus) in his own concert celebrating 100 years of the Women’s Institute.