Meet the Grantees: Alex Hamburger

The daughter of a drummer and a dancer, Alex Hamburger has been surrounded by art and creativity since a young age. Yet it was more than her parents who helped shape young Alex’s passion for music: she also credits her parents’ creative communities—friends and collaborators, and, specifically, her godfather, flutist and saxophonist Al Williams—for instilling her love of the arts. When Alex saw Al performing and leading a band for the first time, she knew that that was what she wanted to do.

Years later, Alex has studied with some of the greatest modern day jazz musicians including Ingrid Jensen, Billy Childs, and Ambrose Akinmusire. She has also released two albums, and serves as an educator, contractor, and leader in the D.C. music scene with her own festival fundraiser called “My Body, My Festival.” 

In 2021, Alex received one of CMA’s Performance Plus grants, pairing her with mentor Ingrid Jensen to guide the creation of Alex’s sophomore album, What If?. On the heels of the 2025 Performance Plus grant application opening, CMA caught up with Alex to hear about her album recording experiences, time spent abroad with the Focusyear Band, and her involvement with the D.C. community. 

CMA: How did growing up in a creative environment mold you into the performer and composer you are today?  

AH: I’m super lucky to have been born into a creative household. My example of adulthood was watching two people pursue their passions! At a very young age, I saw my godfather Al Williams playing flute, improvising, and leading a band, and I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I got my first flute at 6 years old, and I was lucky to have so many opportunities—from sitting in with different bands with my dad to studying and hanging around with great musicians and even recording in a studio before I was 10.  

As for composing, I started making up songs as a kid and I wrote original songs for my high school folk/pop duo. I started to seriously compose during my junior year of college. My friend, the great trumpet player Nicole Davis, and I had a band with a regular gig, which made us both start writing and experimenting with our compositions. I was studying with jazz trumpeter Ingrid Jensen during my senior year, and she not only helped me with my compositions, but she also made me love composing and finding new sounds—and she taught me how to put the sounds in my head onto paper. 

CMA: How was your experience in Switzerland with the Focusyear Band? 

AH: Auditioning for this program was my first time in Europe—and then I got to live there for a year! I had such a great time traveling, and exploring new places and cultures. Musically, I got to work with jazz greats Dave Liebman, Billy Childs, Ambrose Akinmusire, Norma Winstone, and Jorge Rossy. Sharing the stage with them was incredible. There were a lot of great memories from that time, but one of my favorites, aside from getting to share the stage with such greats, was playing a set at an all-acoustic festival up on a small mountain in Switzerland. It was super-secret and hard to find, without electricity—only fire. Still, there were families with kids and people of all ages dancing all night. It was wild.  

CMA: Can you tell me more about your debut album, “And She Spoke,” and what the process was like working on it? 

AH: I was living in New York and working as a live-in nanny while trying to process and absorb everything from my prior year in Switzerland. It was a very chaotic time, but I was so excited to be back in the city. I was reading all of this great poetry on the subway and listening to Mary Lou Williams and Geri Allen and getting inspired. My life and music partner, José Luiz Martins, helped finalize some of the music that I started working on towards the end of my time in Switzerland, as did Guillermo Klien. In November we flew back to Switzerland to play four sets over a weekend and record the album the next day. It all moved very quickly, although the concept had been simmering inside my brain for a long time. I’m grateful for the musicians, José Luiz Martins, Chase Elodia and Doug Weis, and everyone who helped me put it together so fast.  

CMA: Via our Performance Plus program in 2021, you were able to have your previous professor Ingrid Jensen guide you with the compositions for your sophomore album, What If?. How was your experience working on this album and how was reuniting with Ingrid for this project? 

AH: What If? started in the pandemic when we had a lot of time to think and explore new ideas and electric sounds. I was able to take my time with the compositions and workshop them not only with José Luiz and the whole band, but also with my Performance Plus mentor Ingrid Jensen. Having previously studied with Ingrid in college made working with her on the music for What If? even more special. I got to reunite with her after many years apart, and we got to dig deeper into my compositions. Our coaching sessions were really helpful in forming the compositions by working through different options and receiving feedback and ideas from Ingrid. It also helped us really think about the details of how we played the compositions, and it shaped the way that we played together. 

CMA: I learned that you are a strong advocate in the D.C. jazz scene. Can you share more about your role and your experiences co-organizing and working on the “My Body, My Festival” fundraiser for the D.C. Abortion Fund? 

AH: A beautiful part of D.C. is the way that the arts and advocacy communities are intertwined, moving back to the area has allowed me the space to work and create community, which is so important. I worked for many years at the Mid Atlantic Jazz Festival/Jazz Academy of Washington preserving the jazz tradition through a 15-year-old jazz festival and student program. I now am working with CapitalBop, a nonprofit celebrating their 15th anniversary of promoting, presenting, and preserving jazz in Washington, D.C. this year, with an online magazine spotlighting the capital’s live jazz scene and community.  

Aside from that I work as a contractor/consultant for other organizations and festivals, and I founded my own festival and benefit with D.C. Abortion Fund. I’ve really found my spot in helping foster community with my love for producing concerts, bringing together people, artists and different communities. “My Body, My Festival” has become an amazing outlet for me to put that and my passion for activism and love for D.C. all together. The festival started out as a small one-day event with a few local bands of friends and has grown into three days across four venues with 15 bands, two sold-out shows, and more than $50,000 raised for abortion access. My favorite part of producing “My Body, My Festival”  is standing back and getting to see people make friends, find love and solidarity, experience new art, and share energy as a collective community while celebrating everyone’s individual offerings.   

CMA: With the application period having just opened for our 2025 Performance Plus program, do you have any advice for people who are applying? 

AH: Clarity in your ideas is key for getting funding for any kind of project. CMA funds so many amazing artists and projects over a wide spectrum, and applications that have a clear and purposeful vision will stand out. 

CMA: And the last questions that I have to ask: if the Alex Hamburger Quintet was a sandwich, what would it be and why?  

AH: Some kind of kitchen sink sandwich with lots of different textures. Delicate and comforting but also surprising. Something pickled for sure, something crispy, definitely something spicy, probably some arugula. Lots of different bites catching you off guard but then also familiar things you’re happy to have in there. 

To stay up to date with everything that Alex has planned for 2025, visit her website alexhamburger.com, sign up for her newsletter, or follow her on Instagram @dabaddestburger or on Facebook at @Alex Hamburger. To listen to and purchase What If? : Bandcamp or streaming.

Learn more about CMA’s 2025 Performance Plus program here. Applications are due February 6.