ALEXANDER AGATE
pianist
BIO
“The effect of music is so very much more powerful and penetrating than is that of the other arts, for these others speak only of the shadow, but music of the essence.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer, The World as Will and Representation, Vol. 1
Dr. Alexander Agate began piano studies at the age of eleven with Mona Wu DeCesare in his hometown of Moorpark, California. After pre-collegiate training with Robert Thies, he completed his undergraduate studies at California State University, Northridge under Dmitry Rachmanov. He went on to earn both his Master’s and Doctorate degrees at the Manhattan School of Music under André-Michel Schub, where he was awarded the Helen Cohn Award for Outstanding DMA Graduate.
Alexander has participated in numerous festivals, including three summers as a fellow at the Music Academy of the West under Jeremy Denk and Conor Hanick, and has worked with distinguished artists such as Marc-André Hamelin, John Perry, Jerome Lowenthal, Robert McDonald, and John Corigliano, among others. He is a frequent competitor on the international stage, most recently winning the Grand Prize at the 2025 Thomas Hulbert International Piano Competition, the Recording Prize at the 2024 Sicily International Piano Festival and Competition, as well as top prizes at the American International Paderewski and Dallas International Piano Competitions.
Alongside his performing career, Alexander maintains a private teaching studio and writing projects, balancing pedagogical, and creative work. Currently he serves as an Assistant Teaching Professor at East Carolina University.
