Mexican-American violist, Alexander Peña, recently moved to O’ahu to join the team of Orchestra Directors at the ‘Iolani School, a position he assumed after working as Director of the ROCmusic ‘El Sistema’ Collaborative and as Senior Leadership Viola/Conducting faculty-member at the Eastman Community Music School in Rochester, New York. A regular performer with the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra and Hawaii Chamber Music Festival, Peña also enjoys working as a conductor, clinician, and chamber musician with programs on the island including the University of Hawaii Symphony Orchestra, Pacific Music Institute, and Hawaii Youth Symphony.

Mr. Peña is a founding-member and Section Violist with the Lakes Area Music Festival Orchestra where he also directs the Explore Music! program, a day camp for youth that is now celebrating its 11th year in Northern Minnesota. Alexander earned an Arts Leadership Program Certificate, the Robert Oppelt Viola Prize, Bachelor and Master of Music from the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. In 2019, he also received an Executive Graduate Certificate from the Global Leaders Music Program, where he was awarded the Global Humanitarian Entrepreneur Prize from the Hildegard Behrens Foundation.