Born in London in 1971, Thomas Adès studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and read music at King’s College, Cambridge. Between 1993 and 1995 he was Composer in Association with the Hallé Orchestra, which resulted in The Origin of the Harp (1994), and These Premises Are Alarmed for the opening of the Bridgewater Hall in 1996. Asyla (1997) was a Feeney Trust commission for Sir Simon Rattle and the CBSO, who toured it together, and repeated it at Symphony Hall in August 1998 in Rattle’s last concert as Music Director. Rattle subsequently programmed Asyla in his opening concert
with the Berlin Philharmonic as Music Director in September 2002.
Adès’ first opera, Powder Her Face (commissioned by Almeida Opera for the Cheltenham Festival in 1995), has been performed all round the world, was televised by Channel Four, and is available on a DVD as well as an EMI CD. Most of the composer’s music has been recorded by EMI, with whom Adès has a contract as composer, pianist and conductor. Adès’ second opera, The Tempest, was commissioned by London’s Royal Opera House and was premièred under the baton of the composer to great critical acclaim in February 2004. It was revived in 2007 – again to a sold-out house (a performance now available on CD) and has since been seen in Copenhagen, Strasbourg and Santa Fe. In September 2005 his Violin Concerto for Anthony Marwood was premiered at the Berliner Festspiele and the BBC Proms, with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under his baton. His second orchestral work for Simon Rattle, Tevot, (2007) was commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker and Carnegie Hall. Most recently In Seven Days (for video, solo piano and orchestra) was premiered in April 2008 at the South Bank and Los Angeles to great acclaim.
Adès' reputation worldwide is now such that a number of international festivals have programmed focuses on his music. Among these were Helsinki’s Musica Nova (1999), Salzburg Easter Festival (2004), Radio France’s Prèsences (2007 the Barbican’s ‘Traced Overhead’(2007) and the Tonsattarfestival in Stockholm (2009); in addition Carnegie Hall New York appointed him to the R and B Debs Composer Chair and featured him as composer, conductor and pianist throughout the 2007/8 season.
Unusually for such a full-time composer, Adès is also a renowned interpreter of a range of other music and his performances and recordings of composers including Kurtág, Nancarrow, Schumann, Schubert, Ruders, Tchaikovsky and Barry and Beethoven have been critically acclaimed. The many orchestras he has conducted include the Los Angeles Philharmonic (with whom he has built a special relationship), the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Philharmonia, Orchestre National de Radio France, the London Symphony, the Hallé, the BBC, Finnish and Danish Radio Symphony Orchestras, the Stockholm Philharmonic and ensembles such as Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (he was their Artistic Director for a few years), the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern and the Athelas Ensemble.
Adès’ music has attracted numerous awards and prizes, including the prestigious Grawemeyer Award (2000) of which he is the youngest ever recipient. He was Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival between 1999 and 2008.
November 2009
Forthcoming performances:
...but all shall be well/These Premises are Alarmed
6.6.10, Barbican Centre, London, United Kingdom: London Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Adès
Dances from Powder Her Face
6.6.10, Barbican Hall, London, United Kingdom: London Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Adès
Catch/Court Studies from The Tempest
12.6.10, Aldeburgh Church, Aldeburgh Festival, United Kingdom: Hebrides Ensemble
Living Toys
25.6.10, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, University of York, York, United Kingdom: Chimera Ensemble
Concerto for Violin
10, 11, 13, 14, 17.7.10, Munich, Germany: Leila Josefowicz/Münchner Philharmoniker/Markus Stenz
Darknesse Visible
14.7.10, Wigmore Hall, London, United Kingdom: Andrew West
Dances from Powder Her Face
12.8.10, Turku Concert Hall, Finland: TAMPERE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Dances from Powder Her Face
13.8.10, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado, USA: Aspen Music Festival & School/David Zinman
These Premises are Alarmed
25.9.10, Canada College Main Theatre, Redwood City, Canada: Redwood Symphony/Eric Kujawsky
Arcadiana
9.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Calder Quartet/Thomas Adès
Piano Quintet
9.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Calder Quartet/Thomas Adès
Tevot
13.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Thomas Adès/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Darknesse Visible
13.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Thomas Adès/Nicolas Hodges
Still sorrowing/Traced Overhead
13.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Thomas Adès/Nicolas Hodges
Three Studies from Couperin
15, 16, 18, 22, 28, 30.10.10, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom: The Royal Ballet/ch. Kim Brandstrup/cond. Barry Wordsworth
In Seven Days
16.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Thomas Adès/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Nicolas Hodges/Tal Rosner (video)
Concerto for Violin
16.10.10, Melbourne Festival, Australia: Anthony Marwood/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Adès
Asyla
20.10.10, Sydney, Australia: Sydney Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Adès
Concerto for Violin
20.10.10, Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, Colorado, : Leila Josefowicz/Aspen Music Festival & School/Edo de Waart
Asyla
21.10.10, Sydney, Australia: Sydney Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Adès
Powder Her Face
9, 11.11.10, Teatro Rossini di Lugo, Bologna, Italy: dir. Giuseppe Grazioli
Concerto for Violin
12, 13.11.10, Powell Symphony Hall, St Louis, MI, USA: St Louis Symphony Orchestra
Lieux retrouvés
7.12.10, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, USA: Steven Isserlis/Jeremy Denk
Lieux retrouvés
9.12.10, New York, USA: Steven Isserlis/Jeremy Denk