Tony Award winner Alex Lacamoire Visits Central.

April, 2013: 

Tony Award winning musical director, Alex Lacamoire, spent an afternoon at Central High School talking with students about his path to success in the musical theater industry, that began for him in middle school as a student in a Magnet School in Miami.

Looking as if he could be walking the halls at Central as a student, the 38 year old Lacamoire has worked on and off Broadway on hits such as Godspell, Avenue Q, Wicked, High Fidelity, Legally Blonde, In the Heights (for which he won a Tony Award for Best Orchestration), 9 to 5, The People in the Picture, Bring it On: The Musical and Annie.  His work has encompassed everything from keyboardist to musical scoring and arrangements, conducting, music supervision and dance arrangements to musical director.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Alex began to play piano at age three. He moved with his family to Miami when he was 9 and  enrolled in Southwood Middle School, a Magnet school known for its fine arts program and went on to New World School of the Arts where he graduated with top honors. He  attended Berklee College of Music in Boston where he studied Jazz Performance, Arranging, and Film Scoring, graduating in 1995.

Alex’s visit to Central came about through an exchange between Alex and Magnet Program Director, Josh Bogin, whose son, Aaron, auditioned for a part in a new play Alex is currently involved in, Fly, and updated version of Peter Pan.  Listening to the tape of the audition that Aaron brought home with him from New York, Mr. Bogin was impressed with his way of encouraging and urging more out of the performers.  Since Central was in the process of rehearsing “In the Heights,” Mr. Bogin made a call asking if he would be willing to spend time with the student performers — the answer was a resounding, ‘Yes!”

Alex spent the day at Central talking with students, answering their questions, sharing his personal story, listening and critiquing their musical performances and winning their hearts with his positivity and passion, a day none of us will forget!  Our thanks to Alex Lacamoire for his generosity of spirit and being an inspiration for so many.