Dr. Alex Powell has nearly twenty years of experience in college and conservatory administration. He has recently served as the Dean of Enrollment Management and Aid at the Cleveland Institute of Music, following many years as the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. He also led admissions efforts at the Longy School of Music of Bard College and Wheelock College and has provided enrollment management consulting to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. He has given numerous presentations on college admissions in the performing arts and has been a featured panelist at many conferences. He served as an adjudicator for Classical Singer, NEC concerto competitions, Boston Lyric Opera, and VoicesBoston, and has been on panels for hundreds of conservatory auditions.

Dr. Powell earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Education at Boston University, a Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance at NEC, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance at Belmont University, and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in History and Music at the University of Notre Dame. For twelve years, Dr. Powell was a faculty member at Nashville State Community College, specializing in innovative approaches to online music instruction.

As a professional musician, Dr. Powell has performed throughout North America and Europe. As a long-time member of the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus, he performed on numerous recordings and in live concerts at Boston’s Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall. He has sung with Philovox, Orpheus Singers, Boston Cecilia, and Boston Secession, and was a member of the London Symphony Chorus performing under Colin Davis, Andre Previn, and Richard Hickox. Dr. Powell completed the master course in poetry and performance at the Franz Schubert Institut in Austria where he worked with Elly Ameling, Julius Drake, and Wolfgang Holzmair. Dr. Powell was also the conductor of the Conservatory Chamber Choir at the Longy School of Music of Bard College.

In addition to a career in classical music, Dr. Powell performed in regional musical theatre productions, country music shows at Dollywood, and was recognized in the Roger Miller Songwriting Competition while living and recording in Nashville. Dr. Powell continues to enjoy teaching voice, music directing for junior theater, singing, and playing the guitar and upright bass.