Joseph Z. Adams (1978) is an Apple Valley, Minnesota-based composer who has written for a variety of mediums for venues ranging from the stage to concert hall. Joe has gained recognition with performances of his music at numerous music festivals, but his greatest collaborations have occurred with Dr. Beverly Everett, director of the Bemidji Symphony and Bismarck-Mandan Symphony Orchestras, and internationally renowned flutist, Cobus du Toit.

Since 2009, Dr. Everett has commissioned Joe to compose 5 works totaling nearly 20 performances. This includes “Quiet Landscape” for chamber orchestra and tenor, written in honor of former North Dakota governor Arthur Link, and “Hero’s Overture”, which opened the Bismarck-Mandan Symphony’s 150th season in 2022.

Cobus du Toit invited Joe to participate in his #WeBringFlowers project – a concert series featuring composers reacting to the violence in today’s society. Joe composed “Misinterpreted Cries”, for bass flute and piano to express his feelings on illegal shark finning. “Misinterpreted Cries” was performed at the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention in Weston, Virginia, and received additional performances in NYC, Pennsylvania, and the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, at the Australian Flute Festival.

April 27th, 2024, will mark his film debut, with his score to “Despondent” – a short film premiering at Minnesota’s Z-Fest Film Festival.

In addition to his collaborations with Dr. Beverly Everett, Joe’s work has been performed by members of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra at the Buddy Baker Film Scoring Workshop, the Hartt School Double Bass Ensemble, the JACK String Quartet, and Bent Frequency. He earned his B.M. at New York University, his M.M. at the Hartt School of Music, and did post-graduate work at the University of Iowa. His primary
instructors were Mary Inwood, Steven Gryc, and David Gompper.