Adam Stern (born 1955) is an American conductor. Born in Hollywood, Stern was trained at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. He received his MFA in conducting in 1977 at the age of twenty-one, the youngest music student in CalArts' history to receive a Master's degree.
Following years as a freelance conductor, composer and pianist, Stern served as Assistant Conductor (1992–1996) and Associate Conductor (1996–2001) of the Seattle Symphony, as well as Music Director of the Northwest Chamber Orchestra (1993–2000). Stern has guest-conducted throughout the United States, including engagements with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Boulder Philharmonic, Symphonic Wind Ensemble at Michigan State University, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, the New York Chamber Symphony, Philharmonia Northwest and the Sacramento Symphony.
A devotee of unjustly neglected works, Stern is particularly noted for his frequent performances of English music, especially that of Ralph Vaughan Williams.
He led the first Seattle Symphony performance of Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony in 1996; In January 2007, he and the Seattle Philharmonic presented the Northwest premiere of the same composer's final symphony, No. 9. Stern has also led Seattle, Northwest and West Coast premieres of works by Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, Aurelio de la Vega, Gerard Schurmann, Richard Peaslee, Richard Danielpour, Rodion Shchedrin, James Tenney, and Goffredo Petrassi.
He has composed incidental for numerous dramatic production in Los Angeles and Seattle. He was a music copyist for Frank Zappa; he appeared in the Richard Dreyfuss film The Competition. Stern has also performed as a pianist in concertos by Bach, Mozart, and Gershwin.
Stern's compositions include The Fairy's Gift for narrator and chamber ensemble (available on the Delos label), Partita Concertante for bassoon and wind ensemble, and Fanfare Pastorale, written for the Seattle Philharmonic. In addition, Stern was a recording producer for the majority of recordings made by Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony.
Stern won a 1990 Grammy Award as "Classical Producer of the Year".
He is currently the Music Director of the Seattle Philharmonic and the Port Angeles Symphony. He is also the Music Department Administrator at Cornish College of the Arts, where he also teaches composition, conducting and orchestral studies.
He has conducted the background scores to numerous films, including Runaway Jury, Heist, Thirteen Ghosts, Ghost Rider, Bee Season, Millions, Clifford's Really Big Movie, The Gift and Just Visiting.
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