Accordionist Alicia Jo Straka has entered the NPR Tiny Desk Contest 2020: Celebrating Creative 2020 Entries Filmed In Quarantine. The 2020 NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest is sponsored by National Public Radio, Inc. (“NPR”), a District of Columbia nonprofit corporation. The winner will be announced around May 28, 2020.

Alicia Jo Straka, previously Alicia Baker, is an accordionist, vocalist, pianist, composer, arranger, and music teacher. She has explored her many avenues of musical ability in both performance and educational venues. Alicia received 3 bachelor of arts degrees from Oregon State University, including piano performance, vocal performance, and choral education, in addition to a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy from University of Colorado Boulder in 2017 – all of which were funded by full-ride scholarships.

Alicia’s repertoire spans a wide variety of musical genres, including; jazz, pop, french musettes, opera, folk songs, polkas, contemporary, classical, romantic, and techno. She often features her own arrangements in concert. Alicia has also composed a variety of musical works for accordion, piano, and choral settings.  She has both won awards and been commissioned to write new works for the choral music world.

I truly enjoyed Alicia’s original song. It is uplifting, catchy, and features her skills as a vocalist and accordionist. Alicia Jo Strake shares, “This is an original song that I composed and recorded for the 2020 NPR tiny desk competition! I wrote both the lyrics and the music, and was inspired by how I feel and cope when going through a particularly hard time. My goal with music is to spread joy and positivity – so I hope this can lift some spirits!. It would mean the WORLD to me if you would go give it a watch on youtube and show it some love! While you’re there, feel free to subscribe for bonus points!”

Lyrics to “Doin’ Just Fine”

When I’m feeling low, when I’m feeling blue
I just think of all of the things that I could do if I wanted to
I take a deep breath, and let it out slow
And I set my sights ahead on the things I can control

Life is tough and so unfair, it’s easy to feel let down
When we put our minds to think in a positive light, I know we’ll be alright

So put on a smile, and sing for a while
And with time, we may realize that we’ve been doin’ just fine.

We will let you know if she wins the NPR Contest but I consider her a WINNER already. Listen to her song and I think you will agree!

For further information: aliciajostraka@gmail.com