Thomas Adès

British composer, conductor and pianist Thomas Adès was born in London on 1 March 1971. He studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and then composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Robert Saxton. At King's College Cambridge he studied with Alexander Goehr and Robin Holloway, graduating in 1992 with a double starred first. He took up a position as Britten Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music and later received an honorary doctorate from Essex University. Other appointments have included being the first music director of the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (1998-2000) and artistic director of the Aldeburgh Festival (1999-2008).

His music includes Five Eliot Landscapes, Asyla, The Fayrfax Carol and the operas Powder Her Face and The Tempest.

A selection of articles about Thomas Adès

Ensemble. Delightfully Unusual - Ron Bierman listens to some 'Fantastic Tales' at the La Jolla Music Society's Summerfest

Ensemble. Celestial Spheres - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to two British composers - Thomas Adès and Gustav Holst - in Rome

CD Spotlight. An Integral Part of Christmas - Carols from the SWR Vokal Ensemble, heard by Gerald Fenech. '... beautifully shaped and vocally refined and the voices come across clear and resonant.'

Ensemble. Rendered in Masterly Fashion - An anthology of twentieth century music impresses Giuseppe Pennisi

Ensemble. A Momentous Experience - Thomas Adès' 'The Exterminating Angel' in HD from New York Metropolitan Opera, reviewed by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. Crossing the Threshold - Giuseppe Pennisi, reporting from Salzburg, finds the first performance of Thomas Adès' new opera 'The Exterminating Angel' even more engrossing than Luis Bunuel

Waiting to be Unveiled - Clare Hammond plays new music by Robert Saxton, plus J S Bach, Beethoven, Szymanowski, Adès and Medtner, heard by Mike Wheeler

CD Spotlight. Out of the Ordinary - Eighth Blackbird's 'Meanwhile', heard by the late Howard Smith. '... an ear-catching feather in Cedille's musical cap.'

Ensemble. Elegant as well as Functional - Thomas Adès' 'The Tempest' live in HD, enjoyed by Maria Nockin

Vividly Captured - A piano recital by Richard Uttley, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. A Sizzling Account - 'The Tempest' by Thomas Adès, reviewed by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. Involving and magical - Robert Hugill experiences Thomas Adès's opera 'The Tempest'