Here is just a sample of some music that I have performed. The first section of music is from a concert titled "Tributes and Premieres" which featured the music of J.S. Bach and Clara Schumann. This is a duo recital that I performed with violinist, Gail Poulsen and several guests. It took place on July 12, 1998 at St. Stephen's Anglican church, where I am the music director. The second section of music is from a duo recital that I gave on April 5, 1998 in the Sean O'Sullivan Theatre at Brock University called Keyboard Pathways. The rest of the music is from a celtic band that I am in with my parents called, Celtic Ayre. The music has been recorded using wave files so I am sorry if it takes a while to load (it's worth the wait!) I've tried to put some entertaining things on this page for you while you wait. I've set it up so that you can do other things while it loads. Enjoy and let me know what you think by signing my guestbook.
Arhythmia composed by Matthew Adams (me). This is a piece that I wrote named after a heart disease in which the patient's heart beats irregularly. I heard the term arhythmia one day on a medical show and I thought that it would make a cool title for a piece. The piece becomes more "arhythmic" as the piece progresses. The violinist is Gail Poulsen.
Er ist gekommen in Sturm und Regen, op. 12, no.2 composed by Clara Schumann. The soprano soloist in this leider is Sarah Nicol....who just turned 16....amazing, eh?
Sonata for Violin and Piano composed by Elizabeth Raum. Raum is a Canadian composer who lives in Regina, Saskatchewan. She's still alive and I have e-mailed her regarding her works. It's great to play the music of live composers. This is great piece!!! It was written for her daughter, Erika Raum, a world famous concert violinist. The violinist here is Gail Poulsen.
Drowsy Maggie. This is a traditional Irish piece that we used to conclude the concert. The performers are Gail Poulsen, violin; Anne Adams, bodhran; Terry Adams, guitar; and me.
Fantasie Negre composed by Florence Price (1888-1953). Florence Price was the first African-American woman to become widely recognized as a classical composer. This piece is based on the spiritual Sinner Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass and it shows a lot of influence of Debussy.
Two Etudes composed by Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964). These etudes were written for pianist Judith Kehler Siebert to play for her doctorate. This second etude Fire Waltz - Homage to Bartok (Perpetual Motion - Bartok boogie-woogie) demonstrates a lot of jazz rhythms even though it is written using a 12-tone row.
Sonata in C minor composed by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel (1805-1847). This is the third movement (presto) of Fanny's sonata which she wrote at the age of 18 for her brother Felix.
Music Walk composed by John Cage (1912-1992). This is a great piece that Laura Hogg, my recital partner, and I played. This is an indeterminate piece in which the score is made up of dots and lines. Laura and I had no idea how it would sound before we went on stage. The only direction we had was that there was to be 2 radios on stage and we had to walk between everything that we did. At the end of this selection you can hear me start to sing "Seventy-Six trombones" right before I run up an aisle.
Anne Adams - vocals, bodhran, and bones
Terry Adams - vocals, guitar and mandolin
Matthew Adams - keyboard, flute, and vocals
Foggy Dew - This is an song that we perform about the Irish uprising of 1916. This is my mom singing.
March Hare - Here is a traditional instrumental tune that we play. That's me on flute and piano....did I tell you i have 4 arms?
Oro, Se Do Bheatha 'Bhaile! - This is a Gaelic song written by Padraic Pearse, one of the leaders of the Irish Rebellion of 1916. "Oro, Welcome Home" was an invitation to all the Irishmen in Europe who were fighting for the British Empire and the freedom of small nations to come home and tackle the ancient foe on their own little island.
The Spanish Lady - This is another traditional song. This is my father singing, not me.
You've heard my mother and my father sing so I didn't think it was fair to leave out my sister, Sarah Adams. She is also a musician and sings and plays the guitar. Here she is singing a Joan Osbourne song.
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