Biography

James Adler is a pianist who “can create whatever type of music he wants at the keyboard” (Chicago Sun-Times) and a composer who writes “with uncommon imagination” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution).

Mr. Adler made his orchestral performing debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has appeared in recital on the Orchestra’s Allied Arts Piano Series, and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts Series. His appearances have brought him from Chicago’s Grant Park, to London’s Royal Albert Hall (broadcast by the BBC), to Thesseloniki, Greece, to New York’s Alice Tully Hall, Symphony Space, and the Paramount Theatre at Madison Square Garden.

His extensive list of compositions is headed by Memento mori: An AIDS Requiem. Performed worldwide, recorded by AmorArtis Chorale and Orchestra, and published by Alfred Music, Memento mori features a “range of expression [that] is expansive” and is “a unique, well-crafted, emotionally rich piece” (American Record Guide). His works have been premiered at The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the opening of the 43rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Carnegie Hall, and the Centennial Celebration of the Statue of Liberty.

As performer and composer, Mr. Adler can be heard on recordings from Albany Records, Capstone, Navona, and Ravello Records. His albums have won three silver medals in the Global Music Awards: two for Reflections and one for That Star in the Picture. The latter was also a double award winner in the 2024 Intercontinental Music Awards Pangea Classical Category. He is a member of the Arts Department at Saint Peter’s University, a National Arts Associate in the Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity, and an advisory board member of Sound Espressivo, which presents the “James Adler Audience Favorite Award” during their Laureates Gala at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. James Adler is a recipient of the 2017 Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award.

Photo: Frank Gimpaya