Alex Meaux, Founder/Director

Alex Meaux is a freelance bassoonist and teacher in the DFW metroplex. He currently plays with the Mesquite Symphony, Dallas Asian Winds, and Lone Star Wind Orchestra. An avid performer of new music and chamber music, Alex participated in multiple chamber groups focused on commissioning and performing works by living composers. His current reed trio has been selected to perform at multiple conferences including the 2022 International Double Reed Society conference in Boulder Colorado and 2024 in Flagstaff Arizona . Active in advocacy for equity and inclusion, Alex is re-scaffolding the frameworks of the traditional K-12 bassoon curriculum with his current studio in Frisco, TX. These active revisions include more inclusive instrument selection, adaptive lesson planning, and regular inclusivity training/education. Through his passion for opportunities at the youngest ages, Alex has become the Director of Beginner Studies for Bocal Majority. Work with this position includes facilitating beginner camps/programs across the region. Alex holds degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University in music education, and Bowling Green State University in bassoon performance. He is currently finishing his doctorate at the University of North Texas in bassoon performance. His primary teachers include Kathleen Reynolds, Jorge Cruz, and Susan Nelson.

Upstanders

Since its founding in 2022, The Upstanders Bassoon Ensemble’s mission focuses on breaking barriers. Students break the barrier of separate band classes and campuses to collaborate in a shared musical experience. The second broken barrier is the notion of traditional repertoire. Much of the music played by students in their band classes are not reflective of their diverse backgrounds. Upstanders commits to playing works from historically excluded composers through both new arrangements and commissions. These students come together on their own time outside of school each week to rehearse. They look forward to showing their dedication to self improvement and artistic expression in every concert.