American contemporary professional music composer and conductor. His musical style, which has its roots in the aesthetics of minimalism, combined with the unique manner of the composer, is classified as a post-minimalist music direction, although the composer himself calls himself a "post-stylistic" creatorJohn Coolidge Adams was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Growing up, he lived in different states of New England and was strongly influenced by the musical culture of this land. To the music J. Adams first made his mark as a clarinetist, studying with his father and Boston Symphony Orchestra musician Felix Viscuglia. At the age of ten J. Adams began studying music theory and composition, and at 14 he heard his first play performed in public. From 1965 to 1972, he studied composition at Harvard University with Leon Kirchner, Earl Kim, Roger Sessions, Harold Shapero, and David Del Tredici, and performed actively as a clarinetist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.After graduating, J. Adams began teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he spent a decade. Here he quickly entered the world of new music, working in the conservatory's electronic music studio. Conducting her New Music Ensemble, he presented a number of experimental music works. In 1978, he became a consultant on new music at the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, together with its music director Edo de Waart J. Adams presented the works of the most important American and European avant-garde composers to metropolitan audiences.In 1983, conductor Peter Sellars commissioned J. Adams to write an opera about Richard Nixon's meeting with Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong. It premiered at the Houston Opera House in 1987, and was a huge success, running 70 times over the years and winning Emmy and Grammy awards.In 1997, the composer, celebrating his 50th birthday, held a concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, where his works were accompanied by the works of jazz music stars Miles Davis, Gil Evans and Duke Ellington.