Author Archives: Adrian Dee

Hey! It’s the Fourth of July! And I’m a piccolo player! So, excuse me but there is one thing that I absolutely must do.. Images of African American soldiers courtesy of Pinterest. Honoring African American soldiers from the Revolutionary War to today who fought for liberty and justice they never received. I invite you toContinue reading “Independence(?) Day”

As if physical injury in November, car wrecked in December, global pandemic lockdown onset in March, racism violence everywhere in May and June, as if this weren’t enough – we were hit, perhaps I should say bashed, with personal tragic news this week.  Our great-niece, Makayla, just turned 12, died on Tuesday afternoon, June 23. Continue reading “Makayla, We Hardly Knew You”

… to understand, to educate myself, to listen and learn. Here is an interesting video by Emmanuel Acho – “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man.” You can watch it and practice being uncomfortable in the privacy and safety of your own home. Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is a good skill to learn. Have compassion,Continue reading “Overwhelmed, but trying …”

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!