Adam Sadberry, Flute
Yoshiko Arahata, Collaborative Piano
Musical Journalism
Sunday, January 21, 2024 @ 3:00 PM
Flutist and educator Adam W. Sadberry is paving a distinctive career with his citizenry, creativity, and vibrancy both on and off stage. This multi-media performance will captivate you as you follow in the footsteps of Adam’s grandfather and unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement, L. Alex Wilson.
About Adam
Flutist and educator Adam W. Sadberry is paving a distinctive career with his citizenry, creativity, and vibrancy both on and off stage. As a winner of Concert Artists Guild’s 2021 Victor Elmaleh Competition, he is making his debuts with Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Newport Classical, Scottsdale Performing Arts, Macon Concert Series, Strings Music Festival, Pro Musica: San Miguel de Allende, Northeast Kingdom Classical, Glema Mahr, Dumbarton Concerts, and more. Adam is tremendously excited to make his debut at Merkin Hall in NYC during March 2023 where he will premiere a composition by Dameun Strange that is inspired by Adam’s late grandfather and unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement, L. Alex Wilson.
Adam’s commitment to citizenry is reflected through his collegiate work. He is on faculty at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) for the spring 2023 semester, and he has upcoming residencies at Lawrence University and Northern Michigan University, the latter of which includes a performance of Mozart’s D Major Flute Concerto with the Marquette Symphony Orchestra. Adam also has engagements at Indiana University (Bloomington), Pepperdine University, and Georgia Southwestern State University, and has previously given masterclasses at Oakland University, University of Memphis, Rhodes College, and the Harmony Project (Los Angeles). Adam’s work revolves around identity, his grandfather’s legacy, and mindfulness that is informed by Alexander Technique. His most popular lectures are Using Your Identity to Create a Relevant Voice in Music and Musical Journalism: Continuing a Legacy Through the Flute.
Along with his solo and educational work, Adam has a strong foundation in orchestral playing. He has played principal flute with the St. Louis and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, and his former positions include acting principal flute of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, flute and piccolo with the Des Moines Metro Opera, and orchestra fellow with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, and the New World Symphony. Adam can be heard playing on the soundtrack of Disney’s The Lion King (2019) and in the Hollywood Bowl’s Juneteenth Celebration (2022) that included artists such as Chaka Khan, Ne-Yo, Billy Porter, Questlove, and Earth, Wind, and Fire.
Adam is currently enrolled in the Training Course at the Minnesota Center for The Alexander Technique, and he holds a Bachelor of Music and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Outside of music, Adam finds joy in rollerskating, listening to podcasts, reading, playing video games, and spending time outdoors. Adam can be found on Facebook and on Instagram as @adamhappyberry.
Website: https://www.adamsadberry.com/
Social media: https://www.instagram.com/adamhappyberry/?hl=en
Recordings: https://www.adamsadberry.com/video
Katherine Hoover – Winter Spirits: Adam W. Sadberry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Slb-gHsvxM
Béla Bartók – Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56: Adam W. Sadberry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQwUUH5mwZs</a
Ton de Leeuw – Night Music: Adam W. Sadberry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzduSNFfuJw
About Yoshiko
Praised for “possess[ing] an exacting facility at the keyboard, playing with a vibrancy not often heard ” (Rochester CITY Newspaper), Yoshiko Arahata enjoys a multifaceted career as a pianist, collaborative and chamber musician, educator, and composer throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. A top prize winner of international competitions such as Bradshaw & Buono, Los Angeles Liszt, and American Virtuosi Muaic Competitions, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Chicago’s Preston Bradley Hall; in collaborations with renowned violinist Charles Castleman, musicians from Toronto, Pittsburgh, and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras, and artists at Garth Newel Chamber Music Festival; and radio broadcasts on k-Mozart 105.1 FM and WXXI Classical 91.5 FM. Arahata frequently performs contemporary and underrepresented music from Asia, Africa, Latin America. She is equally at home with improvisation, composition, and collaboration with dancers. Currently, Arahata is Visiting Assistant Professor of Chamber and Collaborative Music at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She serves on the committee of the National Conference of Keyboard Pedagogy and is an active masterclass teacher and competition adjudicator. In 2022, she also built a summer course, “The Pianist’s Guide to Dance Accompaniment” that fosters keyboard versatility and well-rounded musicianship at Eastman School of Music. Arahata holds degrees in piano performance from Eastman School of Music (B.M., D.M.A.) and Northwestern University (M.M.).
Website: www.yoshikoarahata.com
