Alexandra McArthur is a Buffalo-based vocalist, educator, composer, and artistic collaborator whose work spans jazz, choral music, musical theatre, arts education, wellness, and interdisciplinary performance. Known for her expressive, multi-colored voice, nuanced storytelling, and thoughtful musicianship, she approaches music as a way of listening, communicating, exploring, and creating connection across people, traditions, and communities.

​

Alexandra is drawn to experiences that help her better understand herself and the world around her. She finds particular joy in the challenge of trying something new, exploring unfamiliar musical terrain, and learning from the people she encounters along the way. This curiosity has shaped a career that moves fluidly across genres and disciplines rather than fitting neatly into a single artistic category. She thrives on collaboration, finding equal value in working with people who share her perspective and those whose experiences, traditions, and ways of thinking challenge her to see something differently.

​

Over the past decade, Alexandra has cultivated a wide-ranging career throughout Western New York, building lasting relationships with musicians, composers, conductors, educators, and arts organizations. A four-time JazzBuffalo Female Vocalist of the Year (2018, 2021, 2022, 2023), she has performed at concert halls, festivals, theatres, and cultural institutions throughout the region. Her work has included opening for Gregory Porter at Kleinhans Music Hall with guitarist Bob Sneider; performing as a backing vocalist for Josh Groban with Vocalis Chamber Choir; portraying Billie Holiday alongside Grammy Award-winning pianist and longtime artistic collaborator George Caldwell in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill with MusicalFare Theatre; and collaborating with legendary saxophonist Bobby Militello and drummer, composer, and educator Dr. John Bacon over many years.

​

Alexandra is a longtime collaborator with the Buffalo Jazz Collective and Historic Colored Musicians Club & Jazz Museum, a featured vocalist and concert host with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra’s Education Program, and a current member of both Vocalis Chamber Choir and the Toronto-based Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Her choral work has become an increasingly important part of her artistic practice, connecting her to traditions of collective music-making, cultural history, and shared expression.

​

As a composer and arranger, Alexandra creates original music that draws from jazz, choral and classical traditions, folk music, and theatrical storytelling. She regularly performs her original music with her jazz quartet and alongside longtime collaborators and musical colleagues, often writing with specific musicians and ensembles in mind. Her compositions reflect both her diverse musical influences and the individual voices of the artists who bring them to life. In 2025, she composed and arranged original music and hymns commissioned by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, with Jessie Downs and Caroline Mallonee serving as mentors in the process.

​

Alongside her performance and creative work, Alexandra is an active music educator and teaching artist. She studied musical theatre and classical vocal performance at the University at Buffalo and leads workshops, masterclasses, and educational programs that invite students and communities to engage with music not simply as listeners, but as active participants in the artistic process. As a trained yoga teacher, she also explores the relationship between music, spirituality, embodiment, mindfulness, and wellness.

​

Whether performing, composing, teaching, or collaborating, Alexandra approaches her work with curiosity, authenticity, generosity, and care. She believes the most meaningful artistic experiences invite us to listen deeply, communicate honestly, discover something true within ourselves, and create together what no individual could achieve alone.