Adam Billings

Adam Billings is a Pacific Northwest-born composer of contemporary music. Adam is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with revered composer and teacher Dr. Robert Beaser on scholarship. He is currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Composition with a minor in Impact Entrepreneurship at The New School. Adam studies with Mr. Timo Andres at the Mannes School of Music. Adam began his musical training at age 10, playing the clarinet in the Nooksack Elementary School band. In just years, he became proficient on the clarinet and saxophone. After having learned these instruments, Adam became interested in the oboe - his current primary instrument. At age 14, he started to see a deeper meaning in what he was doing as a musician, and wanted to write music himself. After learning the ins and outs of music through private lessons, school ensembles and personal studies, he decided to dedicate his life to its creation. Consequently, that same year, he started composing under the tutelage of respected composition pedagogue Dr. Roger Briggs. Adam has been recognized by his community’s music program where they dedicated a full length concert to his music. The Bellingham Music Festival’s “Welcome Home Concert” commenced on January 4, 2019. As an instructor, Adam enriches his students’ perspective on contemporary music, philosophy and aesthetic style. In addition, he believes that it is crucial for young composers and musicians to understand the working world that they are headed into.

Adam hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the world of music education for composers and musicians alike. Adam’s music reflects his everyday life. His aesthetic interests include the sonic depiction of natural events and elements, as well as the human response to sound. With dual love for both acoustic modernist music as well as intricate electronic music, Adam has a vast interest in juxtaposing musical forms and complimentary instrumentations. He is currently working on creating a way to combine electronic idioms with the beauty of the instruments of the orchestra. Adam's overall goal is to receive a Master of Music Degree in Composition and start a life in a place where he can sew his own work into the fabric of music history. Adam continues to take cues from each experience he encounters to then transcribe into his very own style of musical art.