Thomas Adès
Renowned as both a composer and a performer, Thomas Adès works regularly with the world's
leading orchestras, opera companies, and festivals. Appointed to the Richard and Barbara
Debs Composer Chair at Carnegie Hall for 2007-2008, he was featured as composer, conductor,
and pianist throughout that season.
Engagements in 2009-2010 include a major composer and artist focus with the Royal
Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra; a return to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with which he
has developed a particularly close relationship; piano recitals in Vancouver and at the
Barbican, where Mr. Adès will perform the premieres of his new piano work Concert
Paraphrase on Powder Her Face; and his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with
whom he will perform Sibelius's The Tempest, Tchaikovsky's The Tempest,
and scenes from his own The Tempest.
The many orchestras he has conducted include the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,
the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic,
the Mariinsky Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic
Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish Symphony Orchestra, and the Danish Radio
Symphony Orchestra. A number of international festivals have chosen to present special
focuses on his music. Among these have been Helsinki's Musica Nova (1999), the Salzburg
Easter Festival (2004), Radio France's Festival Présences (2007), the Barbican's Traced
Overhead (2007), the Mariinsky Theatre's New Horizons Festival in St. Petersburg
(2007), and the Stockholm International Composer Festival (2009).
Born in London in 1971, Mr. Adès studied piano and composition at the Guildhall School of
Music & Drama. Between 1993 and 1995, he was composer in association with the Hallé
Orchestra, which resulted in his compositions The Origin of the Harp (1994) and
These Premises Are Alarmed for the opening of Bridgewater Hall in 1996.
Asyla (1997) was a Feeney Trust commission for Sir Simon Rattle and the City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which toured the work and performed it on Mr. Rattle's last
concert as music director in 1998. Mr. Rattle subsequently programmed Asyla in his
opening concert as Music Director of the Berliner Philharmoniker in September 2002.
Ensemble ACJW
Ensemble ACJW is the performing arm of The Academy-a program of Carnegie Hall, The
Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City
Department of Education. Ensemble ACJW performs at Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and
other venues in New York City and New York State, including an annual residency at Skidmore
College in Saratoga Springs. The ensemble comes together in different sizes, having the
opportunity to play intimate chamber music as well as larger conducted chamber orchestra
works.
The Academy is a two-year fellowship program for the finest young professional musicians
designed to develop the artistic values and skills necessary for careers that combine
musical excellence with education, community engagement, advocacy, and leadership. The
program provides ongoing professional development and opportunities to perform and teach in
concert halls, public schools, college campuses, and throughout local communities. The
program reflects the belief that today's artists require both the ability to perform at the
highest level and the capacity to give back to the community, inspiring the next generation
of quality musicians and music lovers.
The Academy was launched in January 2007. The fellows in the program were selected because
of their extraordinary level of musicianship, deep commitment to education and community
engagement, and leadership qualities. Fellows are graduates of leading music schools,
including The Curtis Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School,
Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, Mannes College The New School for Music, New
England Conservatory, and Yale School of Music. Please visit acjw.org for ensemble bios and
more information about the program.
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