A vagabond of the Canadian East Coast, Adam Vincent Clarke (b.1992, Nova Scotia) is an internationally acclaimed composer and sound artist whose music is characterized by its richly poetic nature, folkloric roots, and vibrant imagery. Rooted in Canada, developed in Germany, and established in Belgium, Adam often composes with a tone of gewaltsame Schönheit (violent beauty), his compositions balance lush harmony, dramatic narratives, and multidisciplinary fluency. 

Adam’s expertise in reflecting dialogue and storytelling through music has seen him in high demand throughout Europe and North America as a composer of ballet, contemporary dance, chamber and theatre music. Recent performances of his work include John-William Watson’s “Hang in there, Baby” at the renowned Sadler’s Wells Theatre (London, UK), Y Tú for the Royal Ballet of Flanders (Flanders, BE), Sweetspot for Shane Urton and Repertory Dance Theatre (Utah, USA), and Two people in love can never shake hands for BalletX (Philadelphia, USA) with choreographer Nicola Wills. In these works, Adam weaves together live instruments, electronic soundscapes, and recorded dialogues from people all around the world; from battlefields to the beaches of Crete. 

A prolific artist, Adam also brings creative concepts to life through independent projects, including PUPO, Contr (a / o) vers (e / u) s and SOLO ONE. 

Adam’s chamber music oeuvre includes many compositions for strings and piano, including a guitar quartet ‘Three Memories,’ recorded and released by the Four Aces Guitar Quartet on Antarctica Records. His works for strings also includes a set of 23 Violin duets based on Balkan themes, and a Prelude and violin sonata for which he was nominated for an ECMA. As a nod to his compositional roots as a storyteller, Adam’s solo piano sonata, PUPO, is a poignant Soviet re-telling of Pinocchio. Taking place in a war-torn Eastern European city, PUPO pays homage to the original Italian story of Pinocchio, evoking both a dark and playful atmosphere.

As a composer-in-residence with the international touring group Ensemble Silakbo, Adam has toured Europe and shared the stage with Antwerp Symphony Orchestra in Untitled for Vagabonds and Orchestra. His compositions for the Est-Ouest ensemble including La Danse Balkanique were inspired by Balkan folk music. With the support of Canada Council for the Arts, they gave a tour of these performances throughout five Canadian cities.

A two-time nominee for the East Coast Music Award for Classical Composer of the Year, Adam attributes much of his success to his musical beginnings and mentors. Adam began his musical explorations on the bagpipes in his home, Nova Scotia, where the influence of folkloric tradition left a lasting impression. He earned a Bachelor of Music in composition under the tutelage of Derek Charke and Dinuk Wijeratne, studying guitar with Eugene Cormier. Adam received his Masters’s Degree in composition under Wim Henderickx– his thesis focusing on the cross-genre principles of solo cello repertoire and heavy metal music.

“…rich in sound, always surprising with new harmonies. It never becomes descriptive in an easy way but opens the imagination of the listener, only suggesting to him the outline of an image, even some details that you had in mind while composing. I think that’s characteristic for real composers: they can freeze a poetic image in sound. They do more than just writing a nice tune: they paint”.

Marc van Rompaey, Radio Klara Belgium