Musical "Triple Threat" James Adler Joins Yamaha Artist Roster
BUENA PARK, Calif. Acclaimed composer, pianist and conductor James Adler is drawn to "taking an ancient form and giving it new meaning to modern audiences." The recently signed Yamaha artist is striking a chord with critics and audiences alike with a powerful embodiment of this artistic philosophy, the celebrated and deeply personal choral work Memento mori: An AIDS Requiem.
Combining traditional English, Hebrew and Latin texts, Memento mori features original poetry by author and raconteur Quentin Crisp, writer Philip Justin Smith, motivational speaker and AIDS educator Denise Stokes and photographer and author Bill Weaver. "Having lost so many friends to AIDS," explains Adler, "I had to do something. And I had to do it musically and this was it."
Commissioned and premiered in 1996 by the Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus, the critically praised 75-minute work was performed at Merkin Concert Hall in April 2000, by the Estonian National Men's Choir in Tallinn, Estonia in May 2005 and most recently in May 2006 by the Golden Gate Men's Chorus at San Francisco's Mission Dolores Basilica, under the direction of GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Joseph Jennings.
Combining diverse literary sources and musical styles helped Adler achieve his intention "to create a work that could be emotionally gut-wrenching, quasi-theatrical and religious in a spiritual sense." An Albany Records recording featuring Metropolitan Opera soloists Victoria Livengood and Jane Dutton and New York City Opera soloist Maire O'Brien was deemed by American Record Guide "a unique, well-crafted, emotionally rich piece."
Adler makes his home in New York's West Village. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Adler is currently a faculty member of the Fine Arts Department at Saint Peter's College. Having judged numerous national and international music competitions, Adler himself has been the recipient of an ASCAP award for outstanding composition achievement each year since 1978.
He is a recipient of grants from Meet the Composer and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and is a laureate in Who's Who in American Music and the International Who's Who in Music.
Describing himself as "a dedicated tonalist" who "writes for audiences," the award-winning composer has also earned critical praise for his performances at such leading venues as London's Wigmore Hall, London's Royal Albert Hall (broadcast on the BBC), the French Woods Festival of Performing Arts, Chicago's Grant Park Concerts, New Jersey's Soclair Music Festival, New York's Paramount Theatre and the Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece.
In the spring of 2006, Adler made his debut at another distinguished facility Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. in New York. "It was my pleasure and privilege to practice and perform on three beautiful Yamaha concert grand pianos. I was especially partial to the CFIIIS," recalls Adler. "The action is a miracle. I am able to control the sound, timbre and legato in especially tricky parts of pieces."
Adler found the CFIIIS to be particularly valuable in navigating the highly complex Pictures at an Exhibition. "There were so many moments when the performance of the Yamaha concert grand led me to smile inwardly," recalls Adler. "It's almost as though Mussorgsky composed for this piano!"
Beyond enjoying the stellar quality of the Yamaha instrument fleet, Adler came away from his concert engagement with something more a formal affiliation with Yamaha. "I had a warm feeling there," recalls Adler. "The staff was very professional, nurturing and caring. I am thrilled to become part of the Yamaha family."
Yamaha's growing family of classical piano artists features Oxana Yablonskaya, Abbey Simon, Michael Tilson Thomas and Frederic Chiu. The company's roster of contemporary piano artists includes Elton John, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and John Legend. For a complete listing of Yamaha-affiliated musical artists, visit www.yamaha.com/Artists.
About Yamaha:
Yamaha Corporation of America manufactures a complete line of musical instruments, professional audio products and customer-driven support products, targeted to both the amateur and professional markets.
 Yamaha Artist James Adler |
Commissioned and premiered in 1996 by the Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus, the critically praised 75-minute work was performed at Merkin Concert Hall in April 2000, by the Estonian National Men's Choir in Tallinn, Estonia in May 2005 and most recently in May 2006 by the Golden Gate Men's Chorus at San Francisco's Mission Dolores Basilica, under the direction of GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Joseph Jennings.
Combining diverse literary sources and musical styles helped Adler achieve his intention "to create a work that could be emotionally gut-wrenching, quasi-theatrical and religious in a spiritual sense." An Albany Records recording featuring Metropolitan Opera soloists Victoria Livengood and Jane Dutton and New York City Opera soloist Maire O'Brien was deemed by American Record Guide "a unique, well-crafted, emotionally rich piece."
Adler makes his home in New York's West Village. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Adler is currently a faculty member of the Fine Arts Department at Saint Peter's College. Having judged numerous national and international music competitions, Adler himself has been the recipient of an ASCAP award for outstanding composition achievement each year since 1978.
He is a recipient of grants from Meet the Composer and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and is a laureate in Who's Who in American Music and the International Who's Who in Music.
Describing himself as "a dedicated tonalist" who "writes for audiences," the award-winning composer has also earned critical praise for his performances at such leading venues as London's Wigmore Hall, London's Royal Albert Hall (broadcast on the BBC), the French Woods Festival of Performing Arts, Chicago's Grant Park Concerts, New Jersey's Soclair Music Festival, New York's Paramount Theatre and the Dimitria Festival in Thessaloniki, Greece.
In the spring of 2006, Adler made his debut at another distinguished facility Yamaha Artist Services, Inc. in New York. "It was my pleasure and privilege to practice and perform on three beautiful Yamaha concert grand pianos. I was especially partial to the CFIIIS," recalls Adler. "The action is a miracle. I am able to control the sound, timbre and legato in especially tricky parts of pieces."
Adler found the CFIIIS to be particularly valuable in navigating the highly complex Pictures at an Exhibition. "There were so many moments when the performance of the Yamaha concert grand led me to smile inwardly," recalls Adler. "It's almost as though Mussorgsky composed for this piano!"
Beyond enjoying the stellar quality of the Yamaha instrument fleet, Adler came away from his concert engagement with something more a formal affiliation with Yamaha. "I had a warm feeling there," recalls Adler. "The staff was very professional, nurturing and caring. I am thrilled to become part of the Yamaha family."
Yamaha's growing family of classical piano artists features Oxana Yablonskaya, Abbey Simon, Michael Tilson Thomas and Frederic Chiu. The company's roster of contemporary piano artists includes Elton John, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and John Legend. For a complete listing of Yamaha-affiliated musical artists, visit www.yamaha.com/Artists.
About Yamaha:
Yamaha Corporation of America manufactures a complete line of musical instruments, professional audio products and customer-driven support products, targeted to both the amateur and professional markets.