Alexis Houchin is a soulful and expressive professional piccoloist who is passionate about bringing more light to the world of piccolo performance through her work. In performing difficult and challenging solo piccolo repertoire, she is described as having a “love for the piccolo that can be felt across the hall”. Pieces performed include multiple piccolo concertos by composers such as Lowell Liebermann, Amanda Harberg, and Avner Dorman, as well as two major solo piccolo performances with Arizona-based ensembles. In February 2024, Alexis was featured as a solo artist with the University of Arizona Wind Symphony, performing Derek Bourgeois’ “Piccolo Picante” for Piccolo and Wind Band. In addition, she performed as a solo piccolo artist with the Tucson Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, playing Henri Kling’s “The Elephant and the Fly”. In her quest to widen the repertoire for piccolo and continue to highlight the instrument, Alexis commissioned and premiered a brand new piccolo work in 2023 titled “Rincon Peak”, composed by local Tucson composer, Bob Atwell. She has also finished recording the first professional recording of Amanda Harberg’s Concerto for Piccolo with a fully actualized orchestra and will be releasing it in late 2024.

Outside of her solo performances, Alexis has performed in public masterclasses for professional flutists/piccoloists from all over the world, performed at the 2023 National Flute Convention, participated in the 2023 International Piccolo Festival, and acted as a clinician for Arizona summer flute festivals. In addition, she has ample experience in a variety of ensembles including Piccolo in the Arizona Symphony Orchestra, the University of Arizona (UA) Philharmonic Orchestra, and the UA Wind Ensemble, as well as Principal Flute/Piccolo in the UA Wind Symphony, Piccolo/Flute/Alto Flute in the UA Flutefinity ensemble, and Flute in the only student-driven undergraduate wind quintet, the A.M. Wind Quintet.

When not furthering her musicianship through performance, she has a desire and love for teaching young musicians. From 2021-2024, Alexis was the primary Flute and Piccolo Instructor at one of the top high school bands in Southern Arizona, Rincon/University High School, where she assisted as a visual/music tech for the competitive marching band and offered technique classes year-round. In addition, she provides private lessons to all flute/piccolo players of all talent levels and ages, teaching both in her own studio and as a professional teacher at well-established companies such as Music & Arts.

Alexis received her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from the University of Arizona under Brian Luce, and is now pursuing a Master of Music in Piccolo Performance at the Peabody Institute of Music of the Johns Hopkins University under Erica Peel, piccoloist of the Philadelphia Orchestra.