THE FIDDLER—Alex DePue
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Alexander Paul DePue, the second of four sons born to Wallace Sr. and the late Linda DePue was born into a musical family. His father is a professor of music; his mother was a concert pianist. Following in his older brother’s footsteps, he began taking violin lessons at age five. He has studied classical violin with Dr. Bernard Linden, Dr. Paul Makara, and Camilla Wicks.
Alex won his first major competition at age 10 and has continued to win competitions and appear as a guest soloist with orchestras and at festivals nationwide. In 1988, he won a competition that entitled him to perform at Carnegie Hall with the National Guild Youth Orchestra under the direction of Joseph Silverstein. Alex has appeared with the Bowling Green State University (OH) Orchestra, the Flint (MI) Symphony Orchestra, the Toledo (OH) Symphony Orchestra, the Bowling Green (OH) Symphony, the Mid-Texas Symphony, the Hamilton-Fairfield (OH) Symphony, and the Clermont (OH) Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also performed at the Batiquitos Music Festival (La Jolla, CA) and the Angel Fire Music Festival (NM).
Alex attended Bowling Green State University as a violin performance major. While attending school, he organized and played (viola) in the university’s first undergraduate string quartet.
Despite all of his classical training, Alex also has an interest in improvisational music, or "fiddling”. He became interested in fiddling at age seven, and began competing in old-time fiddle contests at the age of 12. He has won numerous trophies and has held the Mid-American, Ohio, and Wood County fiddling champion titles. Alex reigned as the Michigan State Fiddling Champion from 1994-1998; won the first-place trophy at the Walnut Valley National Fiddling Championship in Winfield, Kansas in 1999 and 2005; and won first place in the Halletsville, TX “Gone to Texas National Fiddling Championship” in 2000. He has been ranked among the top 10 fiddlers in the nation at the Grand Masters Fiddling Championship (Nashville, TN). In 2005, Alex placed fourth at the GMFC. Alex toured with Capitol Recording artist Chris Cagle from 2000-2006, with whom he regularly appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Television, Great American Country, and VH1 Country. Alex also held the position of Musical Director for Cagle.
In addition to performing, Alex is a published composer and arranger of music. At age seven, he and his older brother, Wallace Jr., tied for first place in a field of 250 contestants in a composition contest offered by a Toledo Symphony support group. He also won first prize in the National Federation of Music Clubs’ national composition contest. He is currently arranging music for the DePue Brothers, composed of Alex, Wallace Jr., and their younger brothers Jason and Zachary. Recognized as the 1989 “Outstanding Musical Family of the Year” by former president George Bush, the group performs for sell-out audiences nationwide. They produced their first CD, “Classical Grass” in 2003. With this CD, the DePue Brothers introduce a new style of music to mainstream America. This style combines great classical music with a bluegrass feel, as traditional folk instruments will be used in the arrangements.
Alex has a self-produced CD available which features pieces he arranged and/or composed. He is in the process of working on his second CD. In addition to his own CD, he has produced recordings for other singers and instruments, and records sessions in his off time from the tour. With his brothers, Alex played on the soundtrack for the Philadelphia Orchestra documentary, “Music from the Inside Out”. Alex also composed one of the pieces recorded for the documentary.
With a background in both classical violin and fiddling, and an ability to play not only the violin but also the viola, mandolin, guitar, double bass, percussion, and piano, Alex is an artist that can produce any style of music.
Alex is currently on tour with Steve Vai.
www.TheFiddler.org
Thanks for the add! Long time, no see, old friend. I sure miss playin with ya, we had some great times. Love your new gig, you seem a sure fit there. Quite the globe-trotter, too I see! Keep up the good fight, drop me a line or 2 sometime. Always your friend, Craig
