Alejandra Cardenas

Alejandra Cardenas began playing the violin at age 8. In 6th grade, Alejandra joined her first orchestra. She excelled quickly and soon became concertmaster of this ensemble, a title held all through middle school and high school.
Alejandra graduated from Montwood High School and enrolled to Texas State University to pursue a degree in violin performance. She is currently the concertmaster of the Texas State Symphony Orchestra and the Texas State Chamber Orchestra. With these ensembles, Alejandra played at the White House in Washington DC in December of 2008 and the Cowboy Minimal tour of Italy in summer of 2009. In December of 2008, Miss Cardenas won the Texas State Concerto Competition on the second movement of the Barber Violin Concerto. Then in April 17th of 2009, she performed this movement accompanied by the Texas State Symphony.
Aside from her concertmaster duties at Texas State University, Alejandra also plays in the Victoria Symphony Orchestra and the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Austin.
During her first semester in the Texas State Symphony Orchestra Alejandra came across three equally talented musicians. They became the Sarinda String Quartet. Miss Cardenas is the manager and first violin in this ensemble. With Sarinda String Quartet, Alejandra premiered Music fur vier Instrumente: in memoriam ‘Lied der Moorsoldaten’ by Hanning Schroder in the United States. In November of 2007, Sarinda performed Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for String Quartet and Orchestra accompanied by the Texas State Symphony Orchestra.
Alejandra is an advocate for modern music. She has premiered many works by modern day composers, including While She’s Sleeping Soundly, a piece for solo violin by Mathew O’ Neill, which won a division of the Texas State Composition Competition.
Outside of the classical realm, Alejandra has toured with rock band, The Ars Supernova. She has recorded on albums by The Ars Supernova, Michael Martin Murphey, Black Irish Band, and Jarrod Dickenson. Recently, she recorded on the soundtrack to Golden Afternoons, a feature film.
Alejandra studies with Dr. Lynn Ledbetter. Upon graduation Miss Cardenas plans on furthering her career at a music conservatory in violin performance. She then plans on traveling and performing around the country.