Who is Aleksandra Henszel?

Biography

Aleksandra is a flautist who is passionate about music in all its versatility. Her expertise in many genres including classical, improvisation and folk music allows her to lead an inspired and exciting career. 

Aleksandra is the winner of many awards and prizes for her performance, music education and music arranging work, including The Musicians’ Company Lambert Scholarship, Patricia Prindl Prize and The Countess of Munster Derek Butler Award. She was selected as an awardee of the Oleg Prokofiev Trust in 2020 and Help Musicians Transmission Fund in 2021, as well as the Britten-Pears Young Artist. In 2023, Aleksandra has been admitted to the Freedom of The Worshipful Company of Musicians.

Graduate of the Royal College of Music London and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Aleksandra's formal musical training began at the age of seven in her hometown Szczecin, Poland. By the age of nine she received the City of Szczecin Artist Scholarship, the highest accolade in her region and ten years later started her professional career in the UK. Whilst still a student, she took the Principal Flute seat at a RCS/BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra project which culminated in recording and broadcast of works by Stravinsky on BBC Radio Scotland. Other highlights include performance with RCM Chamber Orchestra and singers from Opera Australia at Buckingham Palace Gala concert, organised by HM King Charles III in 2015.  

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As an orchestral musician, Aleksandra has performed at some of Europe’s most famous concert halls including the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin and the Royal Albert Hall. She has worked with conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Gustavo Dudamel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Rafael Payare, Sakari Oramo, Ton Koopman, Kurt Masur and orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Multi-Story Orchestra, Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (Germany),  and The NGF Orchestra (Italy). 

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Keen soloist and chamber musician, Aleksandra's past and present collaborators include Athenaeum Winds (Music in Tuscany, Westbourne, Cottier's and Skye Chamber Music Festivals), OMBRA (St Lawrence Jewry Music Festival), Toru Ensemble (King's Place, Southbank Centre), Echoshed Contemporary Music Ensemble and pianists Maksim Stsura, Ke Ma and Mateusz Rettner. 

Aleksandra's love for dance music has led her to establish Narnain, folk music band specialising in Scottish, Irish and European balfolk music where she plays flute and whistles. Narnain have performed at venues across the UK, Europe and Asia and sailed the Seven Seas as the Royal Revellers with Disney Cruise Line.  

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Aleksandra's passion for music education has taken her all over the world. She was part of the Global Leaders Institute 2020 Cohort, where she had a chance to work with like-minded colleagues from around the world and visited Chile as Guest Professor at Penalolen Flute Festival in Santiago, Chile. As workshop leader, she has given over 50 music sessions at London schools as part of her Young Artist Scheme work at The Musicians' Company and she regularly collaborates with Lost Chord Dementia Charity. She has worked closely with the BBC Learning Department delivering family workshops at BBC Proms, performed at the 'Singing for the Brain' event organised by Alzheimers UK at the 7,000 seat Copper Box Arena and took part in delivering an award-winning project 'Convo', culminating with a performance involving professional musicians and over 1100 London school children. In 2021 Aleksandra joined the Music Department of the prestigious North London Collegiate School in Jeju, South Korea where she led the school's Symphony, Chamber and Junior Orchestras as well as Flute and Wind Ensembles. Aleksandra is excited to join the faculty at Spark! Performing Arts School in the Cayman Islands in August 2023. 

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Not often away from her flute, in her spare time Aleksandra enjoys travelling, hill walking, swing dancing and listening to Spanish podcasts.