Sebastian Adams
Composer
Sebastian Adams (b. 1991) is an Irish composer, violist and artistic director. His music is deeply engaged with the classical tradition, but filters through a range of interests including just intonation, performance art, improvisation and artificial intelligence. Trajectory is a major preoccupation in his music. Recent commissions include the Irish Chamber Orchestra and both RTÉ orchestras. Sebastian was Composer in Residence with RTÉ lyric fm in 2016/17. Performers of his music include Crash Ensemble, Kirkos, ConTempo Quartet, Benyounes Quartet, Fidelio Trio, Sarah Watts, Beatrice Berrut, Carl Ludwig Hübsch, Thérèse Fahy, David Adams, and many others. His music has been broadcast across the European Union and performed in Vienna, Cologne, Potsdam, Antwerp and Görlitz and at the West Cork Chamber Music, New Ross, EuropArt (Brussels), Órtús and Hilltown festivals. In 2017, he represented Ireland at the International Rostrum of Composers.
As an artistic director, Sebastian has organized over 100 concerts since 2012, and brought 400 premieres to fruition. He founded and directs Kirkos (projects include Fluxus Happenings and multi-sensory concerts in complete darkness) and co-directs the Fishamble Sinfonia. He also chaired the Irish Composers Collective for two years. As a violist, Sebastian has premiered works by many of Ireland’s leading composers and performed as an improviser in Dublin, Bern, La Chaux de-Fonds, New York and London. He is becoming active as a period instrument performer, both on viola and on the viola da gamba. He studied in Dublin (Kevin O’Connell & Jonathan Nangle) and Vienna (Karlheinz Essl).
As an artistic director, Sebastian has organized over 100 concerts since 2012, and brought 400 premieres to fruition. He founded and directs Kirkos (projects include Fluxus Happenings and multi-sensory concerts in complete darkness) and co-directs the Fishamble Sinfonia. He also chaired the Irish Composers Collective for two years. As a violist, Sebastian has premiered works by many of Ireland’s leading composers and performed as an improviser in Dublin, Bern, La Chaux de-Fonds, New York and London. He is becoming active as a period instrument performer, both on viola and on the viola da gamba. He studied in Dublin (Kevin O’Connell & Jonathan Nangle) and Vienna (Karlheinz Essl).
Sebastian's new work is premiered in Instrumentalising Folk Song on 24 June 2018
