Grisha Alexiev has been playing drums and writing music for 45 years. His performance experience with such varied artists as Archie Bell, Ken Werner, Sinfonia of Auckland (New Zealand), Sam Rivers, Randy Weston, Marty Ehrlich, Julius Hemphill, John Cage, Arnett Cobb, Muhal Richard Abrams, Anthony Braxton, and Richard Stoltzman has given him a unique and impressive style. As a composer,Alexiev has been commissioned by the Martha Boschen Porter Fund, numerous dance companies, Lehigh University, and Brevard College. He has also recorded on the Jazz Club, Rounder, Soul Note, and Mapleshade labels. In 1990, while a student at New England Conservatory of Music, Alexiev was honored with the Presser Award, a grant given annually to the most promising student at each of the conservatories in the United States. In 1994, Mr. Alexiev was the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts performance grant, and he has received several Meet the Composer grants since 1996. He is co-founder of the Discovery Orchestra (with Neal Kirkwood), the Atomic Strings (with Sam Bardfeld), and, when not touring with Diana Herold, he leads his own 11-piece group, No Western Shirts.