Role

:

Composer Performer

Birth

:

1972 in Mountain View, CA

 

Christopher Adler is a contemporary composer and performer of classical music. He was born on August 6, 1972, in San Diego, California. Adler grew up in a musical family, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a classical pianist. He began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the clarinet and saxophone. Adler attended the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music. He then went on to earn a Master of Music in Composition from the California Institute of the Arts and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of California, San Diego. Adler's compositions are known for their unique blend of Western classical music and non-Western musical traditions, particularly those of Southeast Asia. He has studied and performed traditional music from Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, and has incorporated these influences into his compositions. One of Adler's most notable works is his piece "Epilogue: La Koro Sutro," which was commissioned by the San Diego-based chamber ensemble, the Palimpsest Ensemble. The piece is based on the Buddhist text, the Heart Sutra, and features a combination of Western and Southeast Asian instruments, including the clarinet, saxophone, gamelan, and Vietnamese dan bau. Another notable work by Adler is his piece "Signals Intelligence," which was commissioned by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. The piece is inspired by the surveillance technology used by the National Security Agency and features a combination of acoustic and electronic instruments. Adler has also composed several works for solo instruments, including "The Language of Birds," a piece for solo clarinet, and "The Garden of Cyrus," a piece for solo harp. Both pieces showcase Adler's unique blend of Western and non-Western musical traditions. In addition to his work as a composer, Adler is also an accomplished performer. He has performed on the clarinet and saxophone with several ensembles, including the Palimpsest Ensemble and the San Diego-based new music ensemble, red fish blue fish. Adler has received numerous awards and honors for his work as a composer, including a Fulbright Fellowship to study traditional music in Indonesia and a grant from the American Composers Forum. He has also been a resident composer at several prestigious institutions, including the MacDowell Colony and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation. Overall, Christopher Adler is a unique and innovative composer who has made significant contributions to the world of classical music. His compositions blend Western and non-Western musical traditions in a way that is both innovative and accessible, and his work has been recognized and celebrated by audiences and critics alike.

More....