Bio

Immersed in both contemporary music and baroque performance practice, Will Adams is a freelance flutist, tenor, and educator in the Los Angeles area. Recent engagements include performing in the HearNow music festival, Brightwork’s Tuesdays @ Monk Space concert series, and performing with the San Bernardino Symphony. As a vocalist, Adams appears in the podcast-opera “The Electronic Lover” as the character Stan (aka “SirStacks") in episodes seven through nine.

During his studies at UCLA, Adams was invited to perform Shulamit Ran’s concerto Voices for Flute, Alto Flute, and Piccolo with the UCLA Symphony. Adams has placed in several solo competitions, including winning the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra concerto competition. He received second prize in the Music of the 20th Century and third prize in Music of the 19th Century categories in the Great Composers Competition. At Oberlin, he received the Pi Kappa Lambda Prize for Musicianship, the Conservatory Dean’s Scholarship, and the John F. Oberlin Scholarship.

Notable performances include touring as principal flutist with the Oberlin Orchestra to Carnegie Hall, performing with the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and a solo performance at the Gilles-Lefebvre Concert Hall. In 2017, Adams participated in Emmanuel Music’s Bach Institute program. He also spent two summers studying at the Orford Music Festival with Robert Langevin. Adams’ playing can be heard on Emmanuel Music’s recording of Bach arias and duets, available through the Windsor Music recording label, as well as the album Rands at Oberlin on the Oberlin Music label.

Adams’ past teachers include Diane Clymer, Esther Landau, Alexa Still, and Denis Bouriakov, and he has played in master classes with Lorna McGhee, Mark Sparks, Emily Beynon, Jan de Winne, Robert Langevin, and Ransom Wilson. Adams has also studied baroque flute as a student of Michael Lynn.

As an educator, Adams has served as an assistant conductor and woodwind coach for the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestras. At Oberlin, he also coached chamber music and kept a private studio consisting of students ages eight to 20. Adams also works for the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir’s summer program where he leads rehearsals, teaches musicianship classes, and serves as the Assistant Camp Director. Adams currently maintains a private flute studio in Los Angeles. When not teaching or making music, Adams enjoys knitting and reading fantasy novels.