Sebastian Adams (b. 1991) is an Irish composer, viola player and artistic director. He was Composer in Residence with RTÉ lyric fm in 2016/17. Recent commissions include the Irish Chamber Orchestra and both RTÉ orchestras. His music is deeply engaged with the classical tradition, but filters through a range of interests that includes just intonation, performance art, improvisation and artificial intelligence. Goal-driven trajectory is a major preoccupation in his music. Creative concert production is a major aspect of his work as an artist.
Performers of his music include Crash Ensemble, ConTempo Quartet, Kirkos, Benyounes Quartet, Fidelio Trio, Sarah Watts, Beatrice Berrut, Carl Ludwig Hübsch, Thérèse Fahy, David Adams, Lina Andonovska, and many others. His music has been included at the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, Festival EuropArt (Brussels), Órtús Festival and Hilltown Festival and has been performed in Vienna, Cologne, Potsdam, Antwerp and Görlitz. In 2017, he represented Ireland in the International Rostrum of Composers. His music has been broadcast on radio across the European Union. As an artistic director, Sebastian has organized over 100 concerts since 2012, and is responsible for bringing around 400 premieres to fruition. He founded and co-directs Kirkos and co-directs the Fishamble Sinfonia. He also chaired the Irish Composers Collective for two years. Key Kirkos projects include explorations of the Fluxus movement and multi-sensory concerts in complete darkness. As a violist, Sebastian has premiered works by many of Ireland’s leading composers and has performed as an improviser in Dublin, Bern, La Chaux de-Fonds, New York and London. He is also becoming active as a period instrument performer both on viola and on the viola da gamba. He studied in Dublin (Kevin O’Connell & Jonathan Nangle) and Vienna (Karlheinz Essl)
