Thomas Adès

Thomas Adès (born 1971) is one of the most important musicians of his generation, a triple force as composer, conductor and pianist. Educated at the Guildhall School and at King’s College, Cambridge, he became a sensation in his twenties with works of dazzling invention (Asyla made him the youngest ever winner of the Grawemeyer Award), and he has since built a parallel career on the podium, conducting his own music and a wide repertoire with the world’s leading orchestras. He has a strong affinity with Sibelius, to whom he paid tribute in Air, his homage for violin and orchestra, and with modern and contemporary music: exactly the territory of this programme, which he both leads and contributes to as composer.