Aleksandra (Ola) Woźniak (b. 2005) is a composer and cellist whose music explores the intersections of language, ritual, and the anthropomorphism of sound. She studies composition at the Peabody Conservatory with Du Yun, Felipe Lara, and Oscar Bettison, and cello with Pei Lu. Alongside her musical studies, she pursues a degree in art history at Johns Hopkins University.
Her compositional practice draws on historical and contemporary forms of religious practice, investigating the musical dimensions of speech, cultural memory, and the relationships between sound, text, and visual culture. Her work is particularly concerned with the afterlives of religious rites and traditions, examining their persistence and transformation within secular culture. Drawing on poetry and the visual arts, she approaches composition through an engagement with symbolism, iconography, and metaphor. Her recent work explores parallels between Dionysian and Early Christian rites, bringing historical structures and modes of expression into dialogue with contemporary musical forms.
As a cellist, Woźniak has performed in chamber and orchestral settings with the Hopkins Symphony Orchestra, Hopkins Cello Choir, and WICI Folk and Dance Ensemble Chicago, among others. Her performances have taken place at Shriver Hall, the Kościuszko Foundation, and Bled Festival Hall. She maintains a particular interest in cello ensemble, for which she has written numerous arrangements. As both an instrumentalist and composer, she has collaborated with ensembles internationally, including the Peabody Conductors’ Orchestra, Milan's Divertimento Ensemble, and Slovenia's .abeceda Contemporary Ensemble.
Alongside her compositional practice, Woźniak conducts research into liturgical music and the cultural afterlives of historical religious traditions. Her research on the musical activities of the Polish Brethren in Lesser Poland has received support from the Tyler Center Fellowship and a Peabody Institute Creative Grant. Her research interests encompass the relationship between religious practice, musical expression, and cultural transmission. She currently interns in the archives of the Baltimore Museum of Art, extending her engagement with the historical and material dimensions of artistic production.
During the twenty-fifth hour of the day, Ola paints, makes collages and paper cutouts, and occasionally remembers to catch her breath.
