Composer Adam Silverman (b. 1973, Atlanta, GA) has carved out a distinct space in contemporary music, particularly within the percussion community. His works for percussion ensemble — such as the quartets Quick Blood, The Cruel Waters, and Spiderweb Lead, the octet Sparklefrog, and the sextet Naked And On Fire — have become foundational pieces in the standard repertoire.
Silverman’s contributions to repertoire for the wind symphony include a series of dynamic collaborations between percussion soloists and wind ensembles, beginning with the widely performed marimba concerto Carbon Paper and Nitrogen Ink. This exploration of rhythm and texture continued with Zipzap (featuring a drum kit soloist), the double concerto The Rule of Five, and the formidable 2018 work Speaking Truth To Power, written for four percussionists and wind band. His broader catalog for winds features works like Alien Robots Unite!, Raining Bricks, and the saxophone concerto Alternating Current, which was premiered by renowned soloist Timothy McAllister.
Silverman’s catalogue also extends to chamber music, orchestral works, choir, and opera, with compositions performed by elite ensembles including the New York City Opera, the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, and the Prism Saxophone Quartet, as well as acclaimed groups like Eighth Blackbird and the Corigliano, Jasper, and Dalí String Quartets. His creative reach also includes the screen; he composed the score for the award-winning film Little Fiel, a unique blend of stop-motion animation and documentary. In 2018 alone, the film was screened 50 times across 15 countries, earning him the award for Best Original Music at the Oregon Documentary Film Festival.
The reach of Silverman’s music is reflected in a robust discography, including eight CDs and EPs dedicated exclusively to his work. His compositions are further featured on recordings by the Temple University Wind Symphony, cellist Amy Sue Barston, and Trio Kavak, making his voice widely accessible to global audiences online.
Since 2006, he has served on the composition faculty of the Wells School of Music at West Chester University. Silverman’s creative foundation was built at prestigious institutions, including Yale University (Doctor of Musical Arts, 2003), the Vienna Musikhochschule, and the University of Miami. This formal training was enriched by private study with the legendary microtonal composer Ben Johnston. Today, Silverman finds personal inspiration in the roots of American music; he is an avid Old-Time music enthusiast and can often be found performing as an amateur on the banjo, fiddle, guitar, and mandolin. He co-directs (with his wife, legendary cellist Amy Barston) the chamber music series Park Avenue Concerts at the Park Avenue Community Center in Swarthmore, PA, and organizes the monthly Swarthmore Old Time String Jam.
Updated December, 2025