Piers Adams
Adjudicator - Final
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Piers Adams is widely regarded as one of the greatest recorder players of our time, described as 'a dazzling virtuoso star' (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Music Magazine), 'breathtaking' (Daily Telegraph), 'staggering' (Gramophone), 'the reigning recorder virtuoso in the world today' (Washington Post).
Winner of the inaugural Moeck International Recorder Competition, whilst a student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, over the past three decades Piers has developed a unique and extrovert style of performance, which has helped to bring his instrument before a wide public.
As front-man of the famous baroque quartet Red Priest he has performed over 1000 concerts on four continents, and appeared frequently on TV and radio - including hour long televised features for NHK (Japan) and The South Bank Show. The group has recorded several CDs on its own label, including an arrangement of Vivaldi's Four Seasons hailed as 'visionary and heretical'.
Piers' musicological work has taken him to forgotten areas of the recorder's history, and he has made transcriptions from a wide range of genres. He has collaborated with many composers, including David Bedford, whose Recorder Concerto has become a cornerstone of the contemporary repertoire.
As a concerto soloist he has performed with the Philharmonia, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Symphony and many other orchestras, appearing in such venues as the Royal Festival, Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore Halls. He is currently involved in the promotion and development of a new 'super-recorder' called the Eagle, which promises to bring the instrument fully into the 21st century.
