About this Artist

Born: 1953, Meridian, Mississippi

John Luther Adams studied composition with James Tenney at CalArts, where he was in the first graduating class (1973). Subsequently, he became active in the campaign for the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and served as executive director of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center. His life and work as a composer are both deeply rooted in the natural world, and he won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the 2015 Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for Become Ocean; Musical America named him Composer of the Year for 2015.

Further listening:Strange and Sacred Noise (1997)Cincinnati Percussion Group(Mode)

The Wind in High Places (2011)JACK Quartet (Cold Blue)