Alexa Stier ’21MM ’27DMA wins prizes at Messiaen Competition

Earlier this month, pianist Alexa Stier ’21MM ’27DMA won third prize at the Olivier Messiaen International Competition in Grenoble, France. Stier also won the audience prize and a prize for the best interpretation of new music. In addition to works by its namesake and music by Albéniz, Bach, Debussy, and Mozart, the competition required pianists to perform “a major work composed between 1900 and 1945” and “a major work composed after 1945.”  

“The program is extremely challenging,” faculty pianist Boris Berman said, describing Stier as “fearless” and applauding her willingness to challenge herself with music she hadn’t previously known. Stier “has a natural aptitude for new music,” Berman said. “She grasps it very quickly.”