PERFORMER
Pianist Adam Nielsen enjoys a diverse career as a soloist, collaborator, répétiteur and coach. His performances have been praised as “deftly and sensitively played” (New York Times), “an emotional account of the score” (Musical America), and “tapping into the emotional core of his audience” (Times Picayune, New Orleans).
"GLEEFULLY TRANSGRESSIVE"
“It felt almost transgressive, gleefully so, to hear this and another Bach aria performed in such an old-school way, Nielsen setting about the piano part as if it were a Rachmaninov prelude”
SCHEDULE
Mr. Nielsen performs this season at The Metropolitan Opera and with recital partner Ryan Speedo Green.
NEW YORK, NY
In Performance with Ryan Speedo Green for special presentation of Daniel Bergner's Sing for Your Life
March 2025
Location TBD
"LIQUIFYING."
The meaty portions of the recital filled in the spaces between this light liturgical frame... Thoughtfully toggling back and forth between Baroque and contemporary music, pianist Adam Nielsen aided these shifts expertly, liquifying the Bach slightly here, emphasizing articulation in a gospel accompaniment there... All evening the music was lovely. A beautiful recital. Here the music was its own force, pinning me to my seat and engulfing me.
WATCH + LISTEN
Pianist Adam Nielsen enjoys a diverse career as a collaborative pianist, répétiteur, coach, and artistic administrator. His performances have been praised as “deftly and sensitively played” (New York Times), “an emotional account of the score” (Musical America), and “tapping into the emotional core of his audience” (Times Picayune, New Orleans).
Up next for Adam are several recital engagements with bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green. Beginning in 2017 with their debut at Ravinia’s Martin Theater, their collaboration has since taken them to The Kennedy Center, The Wallis, and numerous beloved venues across the United States. This season, they perform together in Colorado, Tucson, North Carolina and finish their tour with their Carnegie Zankel Hall debut in January 2025. Their recital in Austin, TX was captured for a television special on Austin PBS. More information on their recital tour and locations can be found on Adam’s calendar.
Adam recently finished work on a revival of the Metropolitan Opera’s magnificent production of Strauss‘ Die Frau ohne Schatten, which was called “The Met’s first must-see show of the season” by the New York Times. Recent season engagements also include Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer and Catan’s Florencia en el Amazonas. Adam will return to The Met this spring to play the Semifinals and Finals of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition.
In recent seasons, Adam’s recital collaboration with bass-baritone Davóne Tines took him to the stages of The Barbican, Stanford Live, Ravinia, The Kennedy Center, Baltimore’s Shriver Series, and a debut at Carnegie Weill Hall. Adam also maintains treasured recital collaborations with mezzo Tamara Mumford, and baritone Steven LaBrie. Other notable engagements from recent seasons include performances at The Frick, The Met Museum, The Guggenheim, St. Louis Celebrity Series, Alice Tully Hall, Aspen Festival, Chicago’s Myra Hess Series, The Heifetz Institute, and the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek, CO. He has appeared in concert with the St. Louis Symphony, Utah Symphony, Stony Brook Symphony, the Fry Street Quartet, A Far Cry, Windscape, and in recital with Erin Morley, Joshua Hopkins, Liv Redpath, Jakub Orlinski, and Ying Fang, among others.
Adam currently serves as Associate Artistic Director of the Marcus Institute of Vocal Arts at The Juilliard School. After an era of guesting at most major regional opera houses of the United States, he joined the music staff of the Metropolitan Opera in 2018 and serves there as répétiteur and assistant conductor. In 2023 he served as head coach for the Académie du Festival d’Aix en Provence.
Adam also enjoys a career as a recording artist for film and television. His playing can be heard in “The Upside” (STX/Lantern Entertainment), “The Chaperone” (PBS), “The French Dispatch” (Wes Anderson), “The Staircase” (Netflix), “Marvelous Miss Maisel” (Amazon Prime), “The Unforgiveable” (Netflix), and a new Martin Scorsese film, still untitled.
Photos by Jiyang Chen