Alex Wintz

B.M. Berklee College of Music, M.M. The Juilliard School

Guitar

Faculty since 2021

Yorktown Heights, NY

Grammy-nominated guitarist Alex Wintz is quickly gaining a name in the international jazz community as a performer, educator, and composer. His talent and embracing of contemporary influences, molded with a deep gratitude to the traditions of the past, have garnered him numerous accolades from across the globe. Wintz is a frequent collaborator with Etienne Charles, Ben Williams and Sound Effect, Roxy Coss, Jeremy Pelt, Peter and Will Anderson, and Nick Finzer. He has performed at the Newport, Monterey, Montreux, and Montreal Jazz Festivals, among other major venues.

Born in California and raised in New Jersey, Alex began playing guitar at an early age. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Berklee College of Music in 2010 and completed his Master’s degree from the Juilliard School in 2012. Awards include the National Foundation for the Arts’ ARTS Award, Clifford Brown/Stan Getz Fellowship All Star, Most Outstanding High School Jazz Soloist in the Downbeat Music Awards, Berklee Guitar Achievement Award, and semi-finalist in the Montreux Jazz Guitar Competition and Detroit Jazz Festival Competition. Alex currently serves on the guitar faculty at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Jazz for Teens program.

In 2017, Wintz released “LifeCycle”, his debut recording on Etienne Charles’ Culture Shock imprint. The album garnered critical acclaim from Downbeat Magazine (3.5 Stars), All About Jazz, and The New York Jazz Record.

“Live to Tape,” Wintz’s upcoming release featuring his trio of Dave Baron (bass) and Jimmy MacBride (drums), was released in November 2020. As a sideman, Wintz has appeared on over 30 releases, including the 2020 Grammy-nominated Terraza 7 Big Band recording, “One Day Wonder.”

“When a student walks into my classroom, I want them to feel like they are receiving a high level of attention and focus. The teacher-student relationship is a special bond that requires trust in the instructor. I take this seriously and reinforce trust through encouragement, consistency and enthusiasm, week in and week out. The three major facets of my teaching style reflect my own musical journey: a) attention to detail, b) artistic cultivation, and c) emphasis on the fundamentals. I blend these points together in a personalized way to match each student’s unique strengths and challenges. If a student submits an assignment, I want them to be able demonstrate how its concepts can be applied not just on the staff paper, but in real-time improvised situations. When original ideas, compositions, and arrangements are workshopped, my goal is to assist the student via informed criticism and collaboration, never discounting their own evolving musical intuitions. Additionally, I want each student to be solid on the overall mechanics of the guitar so they can flourish in any musical situation. This includes proficiency in sight-reading, left-hand/right-hand technique, ability to improvise over fast/slow tempos, and ease in any musical setting. Each student comes to a music class with a different understanding and different road they want to travel. My job is to provide them with the necessary tools to succeed while continuing to inform and stimulate their own artistic hopes and dreams.”