Featured Artist – John Adams

John Adams is one of the most prominent contemporary American composers. Born in 1947, Adams has enjoyed an active composing and conducting career that has included landmark pieces like the opera Nixon in China and his self-described “fanfare for orchestra,” Short Ride in a Fast Machine. One of Adams early break-through pieces was the string septet Shaker Loops. Written in 1978, the piece was based on an earlier work Wavemaker, in which Adams attempted to depict the ripple effects of water with oscillating notes.

This week on New Classical, we feature Shaker Loops and more by John Adams.