Alex Jacobowitz, born May 19, 1960 in New York, is classically trained concert artist and street performer specializing in marimba and xylophone. He studied at the State University of New York at Binghamton and commissioned Edith Borroff to compose "Concerto for Marimba and Small Orchestra" in 1981. Jacobowitz's early career included busking in New York City. His international performances began in Europe from 1991, with appearances on German television and various festivals. He received the Meet the Composer award and victories at competitions in 1981. In 1994, he started studying klezmer music under Giora Feidman and Alan Bern, which led him to solo performances at Jewish cultural events worldwide. He also received a reward in competition in Lucerne in 1994. Notable collaborations include the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Kammerphilharmoniker. His album The Art of Xylos was released in 2002 by Sony-BMG under the Arte Nova label and nominated for the Echo Prize. He received another awards won in the competition in Ludwigsburg (2004) and Osnabrück (2007).