Adam read Music at Cambridge University and at the Royal College of Music. As a French horn player he then worked with orchestras including BBC Concert Orchestra, English National Ballet, Glyndebourne opera, London Mozart Players and The Royal Opera House.
From 2009 to 2018, Adam lived and worked in Trinidad where he held the position of Assistant Professor of French Horn and Composition at the University of Trinidad and Tobago.
Adam’s music has been given numerous performances in Trinidad, the US and the UK. Works inspired by Trinidad include Little Red Riding Hood (2011), The Old Yard: Portraits of Carnival (2012), The Temple in the Sea (2013), River of Freedom (2016), Becoming (2019) and Carnival Dawn (2020). He has been commissioned by many individuals and organisations including Metamorphosis Dance Company, Searchlight International, The Percussion Executives, and Strongback Productions.
From 2014 to 2018 Adam played tenor-bass steelpan with Massy All Stars Steel Orchestra in the annual national Panorama championships. During the course of his research for writing River of Freedom, he developed a particular interest in the music of Trinidad’s Spiritual Baptist faith and took lessons in djembe from a local player. These experiences have had a significant impact on his music
Adam is one of the four committee members of Puentes Caribeños, a biannual conference on Caribbean art music. He has also contributed to these conferences as an academic and as a composer, presenting his music and his research, and appearing as a panelist in group discussions.
Adam’s research in Trinidad led to his doctoral thesis Finding Resonance: Exploring Approaches to Musical Fusion in a Caribbean Context. His paper Arranging for Panorama, with a focus on the working methods of Leon “Smooth” Edwards is published in Tour de Force: A Musical Journey of the Caribbeanby Gangelhoff and Legrand.
Adam was awarded his PhD in Composition by Royal Holloway, University of London in 2018.
