Timothy K. Adams, Jr.
University of Georgia - United States

Overview

Timothy K. Adams, Jr. was named Chair of the Percussion Department at the University of Georgia in the fall of 2010. Prior to coming to UGA, Mr. Adams was Principal Timpanist of the Pittsburgh Symphony for fifteen years, Indianapolis Symphony for four years, Florida Philharmonic for four years, and the Canton Symphony for five years. He was also Principal Percussion at the Eastern Music Festival for two summers, Timpanist/Percussionist at the Brevard Music Center for ten years, Extra Percussion/Timpani/Keyboard with the Cleveland Orchestra for two years, and Extra Percussion/Timpani with the Atlanta Symphony for five years starting at the age of seventeen.

After attending the Cleveland Institute of Music where he received his Bachelor's and Master's Degrees, Mr. Adams played in a rock band called the Exotic Birds. The band recorded two records and appeared on MTV and VH1 on regular rotation. In addition, Mr. Adams was featured on the award winning children's television show,"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." He demonstrated various percussion instruments in an episode titled "Noisy and Quiet." Mr. Adams played on two movie soundtracks, The Caveman's Valentine featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Miracle at St. Anna, a film directed by Spike Lee. Both film scores were composed by Grammy Award winning jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard.

Mr. Adams attended the Tanglewood Music Festival for two summers where he performed under the batons of Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Masur, Elliott Carter, Trevor Pennick, Seiji Ozawa, Michael Tilson Thomas, and John Williams. Mr. Adams has soloed with the Atlanta Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Knoxville Symphony, Asheville Symphony, Brevard Music Center Orchestra, and the Pittsburgh Symphony. In 2008, Mr. Adams premiered a concerto that he composed for Percussion and Violin with the Pittsburgh Symphony with Andres Cardenes as violin soloist.

Mr. Adams has played in most of the major concert halls in Europe, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Australia, China, and Malaysia. He has also performed under the batons of Lorin Maazel, Pierre Boulez, Manfred Honeck, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Robert Shaw, Sir Andre Previn, Sir Neville Marriner, Christoph von Dohnanyi, Raymond Leppard, Mariss Jansons, John Williams, Charles Dutoit, and Marvin Hamlisch. Mr. Adams has performed with such notable soloists as Luciano Pavarotti, Jessye Norman, Andre Watts, Yo Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Emanuel Ax, Lynn Harrell, Lang Lang, Midori, Pinchas Zukerman, Patti Austin, Chaka Kahn, Della Reese, Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Arturo Sandoval, Bobby McFerrin, Terence Blanchard, Brice Winston, Dave Brubeck, Marcus Roberts and Burt Bacharach.

Mr. Adams' major teachers were Timothy Adams Sr., Clarence Daniels, William Wilder, Paul Yancich, Cloyd Duff, and Richard Weiner. He has been coached by Jim Chapin, Joe Morello, Buster Bailey, William Platt, Eugene Espino, Peter Erskine, and Will Kennedy. Mr. Adams endorses Zildjian Cymbals, Evans Drum Heads, Promark Drumsticks, Mike Balter Mallets, and Pearl/Adams Percussion.

Mr. Adams was born and raised in Covington, Ga.