Adam Sherkin
Performance
Acclaimed for “dazzlingly displays of hand and ear virtuosity” (Opus One), “technical prowess and uncommon lyricism” (Musical Toronto), Adam Sherkin is a dynamic artist who commands a multi-dimensional approach to performance and composition. Admired for innovative programming and engaging presentation, Sherkin has worked with a considerable number of ensembles in capacity of both composer and pianist. His solo repertoire features music from the Baroque to present-day, with a specialization in works by North American artists (including himself). Recently, his music has been premiered in Mexico, the United States, the Netherlands and Asia. He has appeared as soloist at the Four Seasons Center, the Toronto Center for the Arts, the St. Lawrence Center, the Glenn Gould Studio, Kleinhans Music Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Covent Garden and the Royal Albert Hall.
A native of Toronto, Sherkin undertook early piano studies with Claire Hoeffler. He later worked with Boris Lysenko (Toronto), Marc Durand (Montreal) and Andrew Ball at London’s Royal College of Music. In Britain, Sherkin’s music gained significant attention with performances at King’s Lynn Festival, St James Piccadilly and the National Portrait Gallery, among others. Premieres of his works, in complement to ongoing performing activities throughout Canada and the U.S., have been since highlighted by a tour and recording with the National Youth Orchestra (2012).
Recent commissions have been enjoyed from the Canadian Music Center, the Glenn Gould School and the GMA Foundation for the Arts. Sherkin has worked with leading groups such as the Contemporary Consort, the New Music Ensemble of the Royal Conservatory, the NMC Ensemble, Esprit Orchestra and Soundstreams Canada. In 2018, Sherkin founded Piano Lunaire, a new-gen Toronto-based organization that produces contemporary performances, houses a record label and collaborates with the Canadian musical community at large.
Sherkin’s recordings are available on the NAXOS, Centrediscs and Centretracks labels. A most recent album, Romance From The Coda, comprises the inaugural release from the new Piano Lunaire Records, September 2019. Sherkin’s debut album, As At First, was released in 2012, with critics describing the disc as possessing “energy and panache, craftsmanship and a sense of daring. Sherkin’s music is unmistakably that of a young, living, breathing and very gifted composer” (Exclaim Magazine). Sherkin’s discography also includes Western Caprices, released in 2015 and Soliloquy – an EP on 45 RPM vinyl – launched in March of 2018.
Sherkin holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Glenn Gould School in Toronto, a Master’s degree from the Royal College of Music, London and a Professional Studies Diploma from the Mannes School of Music in New York. A Joke Before the Gallows marks Sherkin’s acting debut.