John Luther Adams
b. 1953
American
Summary
Living for almost 40 years in northern Alaska, JLA discovered a unique musical world grounded in space, stillness, and elemental forces. In the 1970s and into the 1980s, he worked full time as an environmental activist. But the time came when he felt compelled to dedicate himself entirely to music. He made this choice with the belief that, ultimately, music can do more than politics to change the world.
Since that time he has become one of the most widely admired composers in the world, receiving the Pulitzer Prize, a Grammy Award, and many other honors.
In works such as Become Ocean, In the White Silence, and Canticles of the Holy Wind, Adams brings the sense of wonder that we feel outdoors into the concert hall. And in outdoor works such as Inuksuit and Sila: The Breath of the World, he employs music as a way to reclaim our connections with place, wherever we may be.
A deep concern for the state of the earth and the future of humanity drives Adams to continue composing. As he puts it: “If we can imagine a culture and a society in which we each feel more deeply responsible for our own place in the world, then we just may be able to bring that culture and that society into being.”
Since leaving Alaska, JLA and his wife Cynthia have made their home in the deserts of Mexico, Chile, and the southwestern United States.
Critical Acclaim
One of the most original musical thinkers of the new century. — Alex Ross, The New YorkerHis music becomes more than a metaphor for natural forces: it is an elemental experience in its own right. — Tom Service, The Guardian
His music perfectly echoes the landscape he loves:impersonal, relentless, larger than human scale, yet gorgeous,a quiet chaos of colors, suffused with light. It’s not a climateeveryone could live in. But for those who want to bathe theirears in an aural aurora borealis while staying warm inside, it’sa spiritual odyssey well worth taking. — Kyle Gann, Chamber Music Magazine
Biography
Columbia University has honored Adams with the William Schuman Award ‘to recognize the lifetime achievement of an American composer whose works have been widely performed and generally acknowledged to be of lasting significance.’
A recipient of the Heinz Award for his contributions to raising environmental awareness, JLA has also been honored with the Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University ‘for melding the physical and musical worlds into a unique artistic vision that transcends stylistic boundaries.’
Born in 1953, JLA grew up in the South and in the suburbs of New York City. He studied composition with James Tenney at the California Institute of the Arts, where he was in the first graduating class (in 1973). In the mid-1970s he became active in the campaign for the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and subsequently served as executive director of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center.
Adams has taught at Harvard University, the Oberlin Conservatory, Bennington College, and the University of Alaska. He has also served as composer in residence with the Anchorage Symphony, Anchorage Opera, Fairbanks Symphony, Arctic Chamber Orchestra, and the Alaska Public Radio Network.
The music of John Luther Adams is recorded on Cantaloupe, Cold Blue, New World, Mode, and New Albion, and his books are published by Wesleyan University Press.
John Luther Adams on WQXR's Meet the Composer
News
Performances
27th April 2024
- PERFORMERS
- Juilliard students Pam Tanowitz
- LOCATION
- Lincoln Center Plaza (outdoors), New York, NY, United States of America
28th April 2024
- PERFORMERS
- Juilliard students Pam Tanowitz
- LOCATION
- Lincoln Center Plaza (outdoors), New York, NY, United States of America
3rd May 2024
- Canticles of the Sky (cello ensemble version)Country Premiere
- PERFORMERS
- Berner Kammerorchester
- LOCATION
- Casino, Bern, Switzerland
9th May 2024
- PERFORMERS
- RCS students
- CONDUCTOR
- Colin Currie
- LOCATION
- RCS Stevenson Hall, Glasgow, United Kingdom
9th May 2024
- PERFORMERS
- Brighton Philharmonic Orchestra
- CONDUCTOR
- Joanna MacGregor
- LOCATION
- Corn Exchange, Brighton, United Kingdom
Features
- Our Earth | Focus on...Climate Change
- Celebrate the environmental consciousness of Wise Music Group composers as we explore the meeting of art and activism in compositions which echo the urgent call of our planet.
- Recent Orchestral Highlights
- Discover our selection of new and recent orchestral work now available from the Wise Music Group.
- Celebrating Earth Day
- In celebration of Earth Day, Wise Music Classical invites you to explore our rich catalog of music inspired by nature.
- John Luther Adams: Music Without Walls
- From the wilderness of national parks to the heart of the inner city, John Luther Adams’ pieces have been performed in locations as diverse as they are surprising. In this essay, he reflects on composing music for the world beyond the concert hall.
- Socially Distanced Onstage Works
- With times of uncertainty ahead for the classical music community, we have compiled a selection of repertoire for small orchestra and chamber ensembles that allows for onstage social distancing.