Author Archives: Adrian Dee

Sometimes it is hard to know what we can do to help heal the pain, rage, and unrest that systemic racism has fueled in our world.  As performers, we have a unique opportunity to give voice to some of those who have been silenced.   My wife, Bernadette, over the last few days has doneContinue reading “Black Composers”

Racism. It’s an ugly sad word. If you are white, in America, you have the luxury of ignoring it. If you are not, it is in your face every minute of every day, and it is exhausting. I was moved by Van Jones’ words in this interview recently. I encourage you to give it aContinue reading “Too Late for Innocence”

Hello friends! How is the future looking to you? A little uncertain? A little bleak? For musicians and athletes and other live performers it is especially grim. Will there ever be orchestras again? Will people ever want to gather in large crowds to watch something again? Here is something that just brightened my future aContinue reading “Tandem Livestream”

Hello friends! As part of the effort to stay in touch with our audience, Newport Symphony has launched what they are calling “NSO to Go” – a series of home-made videos by NSO musicians. My colleague Erin Adair and I made one of a duet we love. You can find it here NSO to GO.Continue reading “NSO to Go”

Forty years ago today, Mt. St. Helens blew up in one of the most dramatic explosions the world has ever seen, permanently decapitating herself, and changing the Pacific NW landscape forever. Fifty-seven people died that day. Mt. St. Helens on Wikipedia Forty years, do you believe it? I was living in Ohio (I grew upContinue reading “Mt. St. Helens and masks”

They’re not just “clerks” anymore; they are heroes. They continue to face the public every day while the rest of us hunker down and only have contact a few times a week. They are there so that we have food. They will deliver to our homes; they will bring pre-ordered groceries out to our carContinue reading “Grocery Workers”

Hello friends! I’ve added a page with some links to my published music, and some sound files of some of the pieces. Click the “Music” link in the menu above. More to come as time allows. Stay safe out there!

A friend said today “Going out for groceries is like going out for war. And bringing them home is like prepping for surgery.” Brave new world…

I’m the second flutist with the Newport Symphony Orchestra (Newport, OR). I’ve been there for about a hundred years and I love it. They are my second family. I also play in the Allegro con Flauto flute quartet in Portland, OR. They’re family too. Sadly, with the COVID-19 pandemic neither group has been able toContinue reading “Let me introduce myself…”

I survived another trip to the grocery store today, equipped with my mask and gloves and wipes. It feels like some big accomplishment. People in public are learning to keep the 6-foot distance from each other. It takes me longer to wash and wipe down what I bring into the house than it does toContinue reading “The new normal is not normal.”