Rate My Professor Peter Adams

Adams is renowned as a conductor, having directed over 250 concerts nationwide with orchestras, brass bands, and choirs, including the New Zealand Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Brass Band, Dunedin Symphony Orchestra, and St Kilda Brass Band, which he led to a national championship win. He served as musical director of City Choir Dunedin for ten years and adjudicates at brass band contests. In teaching, he delivered courses on materials of music, practical conducting (MUSI 259), composition (MUSI 131, 234, 331, 431), and classical music (MUSI 223/323), earning outstanding evaluations. He supervised PhD, DMA, and MMus students, with notable alumni including conductors Simon O'Neill, Tecwyn Evans, Holly Mathieson, and Andrew Crooks. His research specializations include music analysis, composition employing poly-stylism and mixed-modal language, music for wind and brass, musicology, nineteenth-century music, and opera. Key compositions feature Breath of Souls: Five Waiata for solo flute (Promethean Editions, 2015), Look to the Far Horizon for string quartet (2017), Huriawa: Prelude and variations for orchestra (2011, premiered 2019), String Quartet No. 2: Proclamation, Canons and Dances (2019), and Concerto Burlesca for violin and brass band (2008). Adams also performs clarinet in new works, writes reviews, programme notes, and delivers community presentations.