Daniel Adams, Composer

Last updated 07/19/2011

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Daniel Adams received a performance of his trio entitled Intrusions at Ewha Womans University, Seoul, South Korea on July 5 as part of the College Music Society 2011 International Conference. The performers were Ian Davidson (Texas State University, San Marcos), oboe, Jessica Campbell, bassoon, (University of Arizona), and Joohyun Lee (Texas A&M University-Kingsville), piano.

While attending the conference, Dr. Adams received an invitation from Ewha professor Dr. Park Eun Hye to present a master class to her composition students. On Monday, July 11 following the conclusion of the conference, Dr. Adams met with four graduate and undergraduate Ewha composition majors who presented scores and recordings of their music to him and discussed their musical activities and professional goals. Dr. Adams also shared several of his compositions with the students and spoke about the artistic, economic and professional aspects of music composition in the United States. Dr. Adams currently serves as President of the South Central Chapter of the College Music Society.

Between for flute and marimba has been released on a CD entitled McDuo, works for flute and percussion by the McCormick Duo (Kim McCormick, flute and Robert McCormick, percussion). The recording is available on Ravello Records, a division of Parma Records.

Protagonist for percussion quartet featuring tom-tom soloist (six drums) received its premiere on April 5 as part of a Celebration Series Concert presented by the University of South Florida Percussion Ensemble under the direction of Robert McCormick. The concert was held at the USF Concert Hall in Tampa, Florida.

Two compositions by Daniel Adams were performed at the International Conference on the Sustainability of Modern Music held in conjunction with the NACUSA Texas Annual Conference at Texas State University, San Marcos on March 25-26. Double Helix for piano duo was performed by Melinda L. Hudson and Anggraini Dinata on the Friday evening concert. Etude in Two Places for snare drum solo was performed by Bobby Lopez on the Saturday evening concert.

Serpentine Glow , originally composed for bass flute, was performed on alto flute by Shannon Small on March 4 as part of the College Music Society South Central Chapter Conference. Adams also led a discussion on the topic of Cultural Responses to Economic Challenges at the conference.

Birds Sing in Other Places for viola sextet was performed by the viola section of the Malmo Opera Orchestra in Malmo, Sweden on March 5.

Daniel Adams presented a paper entitled Molecular Diffusion as a Structural Metaphor in Two Original Percussion Ensemble Compositions  on the 13th. Annual McCleary Interdisciplinary Symposium held at Texas Southern University on March 24.  In the paper, Adams discussed the compositional origins of his Diffusion One for marimba quintet and Diffusion Two for snare drum quartet. 

A biographical entry on Daniel Adams is included in Composers in the Classroom: A Bio-Bibliography of Composers at Conservatories, Colleges, and Universities in the United States compiled by James Floyd and published byScarecrow Press

The Mangroves Dance for SATB Choir received its premiere on November 11, 2010 at the Society of Composers Inc. National Conference held at the University of South Carolina. The University of South Carolina Graduate Choir performed the work under the baton of Benjamin Ebner. The Mangroves Dance is based on a poem by Rose Strong Hubbell.

Concerto for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble was performed by the University of Maryland Percussion Ensemble at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College park under the direction of Dr. Lee Hinkle on December 6, 2010. The marimba soloist was Eric Plewinski.

An article by Daniel Adams entitled Vocalization, Body Percussion, and Parody in Selected Compositions for Hand-Clapping Ensemble was published in the Fall issue of the Journal of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI).

Of a Just Content for percussion solo with spoken and sung text was performed by Lee Hinke on a guest solo recital at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE on October 10, 2010.

Daniel Adams received an ASCAPLUS Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors,and Publishers for 2010-11.

MISCELLANEOUS

Daniel Adams is the author of two entries published in the Oxford University Press Encyclopedia of African-American History 1896 to the Present. The titles of the articles are Composers and Miami.

The entry on composers begins with the early contributions of Harry T. Burleigh and other early twentieth century African-American composers who wrote music based on Negro spirituals. The article traces the development of African-American music through the twentieth century and addresses the unique challenges and obstacles that Black composers faced in presenting their music to the general public. The contributions of William Grant Still, Scott Joplin, Ulysses Kay, Hale Smith, and others are discussed and a section on African-American women composers includes mention of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. The article concludes by acknowledging the diverse influences on modern African-American classical music.

The entry on Miami discusses the social, political and cultural aspects of life in the city since its incorporation in 1896. There is discussion of educational desegregation, Jim Crow laws in Miami Beach, and the historic entertainment venues in Miami's "Colored Town" where musicians such as Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Josephine Baker performed. The tense relations between law enforcement and Miami's black community is discussed with a particular emphasis on the 1980 riots that followed the acquittal of four police officers accused of beating black motorcyclist Arthur McDuffie to death. The article concludes with a discussion of African-Americans' co-existence with Miami's diverse immigrant population.

Adams's Concerto for Marimba and Percussion Ensemble was cited in an article by Geary H. Larrick entitled "The Concerto on Percussion: Discussion and Bibliography"published in the Winter 2008-09 issue of theJournal of the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors.

The Solo Snare Drum: A Critical Analysis of Contemporary Compositional Techniques, originally published by HoneyRock, has been republished by Daniel Adams,the author. It is available from Steve Weiss Music.

The library of the Percussive Arts Society,located in Indianapolis, Indiana, has established the Daniel Adams Collection. The collection is an archive consisting of the composer's sketches, notes, and several original manuscripts. Additional information is available at the PAS website Percussive Arts Society

dcadams@airmail.net

Biography
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