Photo: Quincena Musical / CC BY 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Public records list Thomas Adès as a composer, pianist and conductor. Thomas Adès was born in London, United Kingdom on March 1, 1971. The age as of 2026 is 55. Education on record includes King's College. Recorded honors include Léonie Sonning Music Prize (2015), Grammy Awards, Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (1999) and 5 more.
My Take
Adès is one of those rare composers who arrived fully formed and somehow keeps deepening. What draws me in is how he refuses the false choice between tradition and the avant-garde, writing music that is both rigorously crafted and genuinely thrilling to hear. Winning the Siemens and Grawemeyer prizes so young could have flattened him into a prodigy, but he became a working composer, pianist and conductor instead. Pieces like Asyla and The Tempest convince me that orchestral music still has unexplored frontiers. I find his refusal to coast the most admirable thing about him, and I keep returning to his catalog.
This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Thomas Adès
- Name (Japanese)
- トーマス・アデス
- Reading
- とーます・あです
- Born
- March 1, 1971 (age 55)
- Origin
- London, United Kingdom
- Occupation
- composer / pianist / conductor / music educator
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Boar
2. Background
- University
- King's College
Awards & achievements
- 2015 Léonie Sonning Music Prize
- Grammy Awards
- 1999 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize
- 1998 Stoeger Prize
- 2000 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
- 2018 Commander of the Order of the British Empire
- National Dance Awards
- 2022 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award
3. Works & records
Filmography / notable works
| Category | Title |
|---|---|
| Notable work | Totentanz |
| Notable work | Asyla |
| Notable work | Chamber Symphony |
4. Links
- Official sitehttp://www.thomasades.com
- Xhttps://x.com/thomas_ades
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas%20Ad%C3%A8s
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%88%E3%83%BC%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A2%E3%83%87%E3%82%B9
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q439572
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Thomas Adès born?
Thomas Adès was born on March 1, 1971 and is 55 years old.
Where is Thomas Adès from?
Thomas Adès is from London, United Kingdom.
What does Thomas Adès do?
Thomas Adès works as composer, pianist, conductor, music educator.
Where did Thomas Adès study?
Thomas Adès attended King's College.
What is Thomas Adès known for?
Thomas Adès's notable works include Totentanz, Asyla, Chamber Symphony.
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