photo by Michael Winters
Brian Shankar Adler
Interdisciplinary Percussionist and Composer
Education
Vermont College of Fine Arts at California Institute of the Arts. Valencia, California
Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition Candidate, 2026
New England Conservatory of Music. Boston, Massachusetts
Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance with Academic Honors, 2005
Performances selected
Rasa String Quartet: Redefining Home. New England Tour, 2025
César Alvarez: Egg. Lincoln Center. New York, New York, 2024
Jane Ira Bloom & Air Space. Space Gallery. Portland, Maine, 2024
Eugene Uman Trio. Colombia Tour, 2024
Ballet Hispanico: Doña Peron. North America Tour, 2022 - 2024
Brian Shankar Adler Quartet. Bebop. Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2023
Palaver Strings & Kinan Azmeh: Elements. Northeast Tour, 2023
Mali Obomsawin: Sweet Tooth. New England Tour, 2023
Emilio Teubal: Futuro. Northeast Tour, 2023
Ballet Hispanico: Doña Peron. Kennedy Center. Washington D.C., 2022
Bombay Rickey. Merkin Hall. New York, New York, 2022
Michael Leonhart Orchestra. Jazz Standard. New York, New York, 2020
Frank London. Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. Brooklyn, New York, 2019
Ahmed Alshaiba. Kuwait Opera House, Kuwait City, Kuwait 2019
Human Time Machine. Roulette. Brooklyn, New York, 2018
Kamala Sankaram: Thumbprint. LA Opera. Los Angeles, California, 2018
Rona Siddiqui. Kennedy Center. Washington D.C., 2018
Bombay Rickey. Tete-A-Tete Opera Festival. London, United Kingdom, 2016
Rick Baitz: Hall of Mirrors. Juilliard. New York, New York, 2015
Guillermo Klein: Symmetrical Moon Beams. The Falcon. Marlboro, New York, 2015
Elizabeth Swados: The Nomad. The Flea Theater. New York, New York, 2015
Pablo Aslan. US Tour, 2014
Four Across. Earshot Jazz Festival. Seattle, Washington, 2009
Prana Trio. Germany Tour, 2007
Nazranah. Institute for Contemporary Art. Boston, Massachusetts, 2006
Compositions selected
Dance of the Cephalopod. Solo Percussion + Installation. CASJ Fellowship / Shaw Institute, 2025
A Bao a Quq Aoaba. Solo Violin. Roger Zahab, 2025
Echoes of the Gomero. String Quartet + Percussion. Rasa String Quartet Commission, 2024
We Are a Body of Water. Gamelan Orchestra + Cello & Tabla. Bates College Commission, 2024
Accumulations, Sediment, Seiche. Keyboard + Percussion Duo. Air Space, 2024
Mountain Pass. Percussion Ensemble. Bowdoin College, 2024
Bhonkers, Madeleine, Ida. Art Rock Ensemble. Bombay Rickey, 2018 - 2024
A Memory of Fire. String Orchestra + Percussion. Palaver Strings Commission, 2023
For a Gallery on the Moon. Percussion Solo/Ensemble, Chant Records, 2020
Fourth Dimension. Jazz Quintet. Chant Records, 2019
Find Your Rhythm. Advertising Campaign. Appleton Rum Commission, 2016
Carve, Lazy River, Maze, Unearthed. Jazz Quartet. Helium Music Project, 2013
Living within the Ocean, Singing Image of Fire, The Guide. Jazz Trio. Prana Trio, 2004 - 2010
One Breath Away, Paradigm. Jazz Quartet. Four Across, 2008
Teaching Experience selected
Bowdoin College. Brunswick, Maine
Adjunct Lecturer in Music, 2023 - present
Bates College. Lewiston, Maine
Applied/Artist Faculty, 2020 - present
Vermont Jazz Center. Brattleboro, Vermont
Artist Faculty, 2014 - present
University of Maine. Augusta, Maine
Applied/Artist Faculty, 2020 - 2023
Brooklyn Conservatory. Brooklyn, New York
Artist Faculty, 2016 - 2020
Hoff Barthelson Conservatory. Scarsdale, New York
Artist Faculty, 2005 - 2015
Recordings selected
Air Space. Cricket Cipher. Adhyâropa Records, 2024
Kamala Sankaram. Crescent. Neuma Records, 2024
Bombay Rickey. Bombay Rickey. Cowboys and Indian, 2023
Emilio Teubal. Futuro. Not Yet Records, 2023
Brian Shankar Adler. For a Gallery on the Moon. Chant Records, 2020
Brian Shankar Adler. Fourth Dimension. Chant Records, 2019
Brian Shankar Adler. Binary Suite. Circavision, 2019
Kamala Sankaram. A Rose. Houston Grand Opera, 2019
Rick Baitz. Into Light. Innova, 2018
Bombay Rickey. Electric Bhairavi. Cowboys and Indian, 2018
Kamala Sankaram. Thumbprint. LA Opera/National Sawdust Tracks, 2018
Brian Shankar Adler. Helium Music Project. Circavision, 2013
Brian Shankar Adler. A World of Percussion. Circavisision, 2013
Four Across. Four Across. Circavision/8Bells, 2008
Prana Trio. After Dark. Circavision, 2004
Composer Residencies selected
Avaloch Farm, Boscawen. New Hampshire, 2024
Antenna Cloud Farm. Gill, Massachusetts, 2021
Awards and Distinctions selected
VCFA Center for Arts + Social Justice Fellowship. Award Recipient, 2025
ASCAP Plus. Award Recipient, 2023, 2024
Lifetime Arts / National Guild. Creative Aging Seed Grant Winner, 2021
Fund for the City of New York. Composers Now Grant Recipient, 2016 - 2020
Independent Music Awards. Best Music Video, 2020
Transcinema International Film Festival (Peru). Best Music Video, 2019
Westchester Arts Council. 21st Century Arts Grant Recipient, 2005 - 2014
New England Conservatory. Scholarship, 2001 - 2005