John Adams

The Profile

John Coolidge Adams (born 1947) is an American composer associated with post-minimalism and contemporary classical music.

Composer of operas (e.g., Nixon in China), orchestral and chamber works; winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Music for On the Transmigration of Souls; recordings often released on Nonesuch Records.

Review highlights Adams's move from early minimalism toward a freer post-minimalist voice. Shaker Loops is noted as one of his best-known and most performed pieces. The Violin Concerto (1993) is described as non-minimalist and lyrically oriented, here recorded with Gidon Kremer. The CD release on Nonesuch is called a nice calling card.