Biography
The TransAtlantic Ensemble unites clarinetist Mariam Adam with pianist Evelyn Ulex in a partnership that also draws in additional musicians. Their name reflects not merely Adam’s American roots and Ulex’s European heritage, but the fact that each performer has built a career spanning both sides of the Atlantic. Born in Monterey, California, to parents of Egyptian and Mexican descent, Adam has balanced residences in New York and Paris while moving between classical repertoire and jazz. As a founding member of the Imani Winds she appears on seven albums recorded with the ensemble from the early 2000s onward. Her solo engagements include appearances with the Sacramento Symphony, the Monterey Symphony, and the Prince George Philharmonic, while chamber-music settings have taken her to Chamber Music Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, the Skaneateles Festival, the Chenango Festival, Fontana Arts, La Folle Journée Festival in Nantes, Théâtre de l'Archipel in Perpignan, Musica da Curitiba-Brazil, and numerous further festivals and series across the United States, Europe, and South America.
A native of Berlin, Ulex captured prizes at national festivals in Dresden and Leipzig during her youth, then relocated to New York, where she reached the finals of the Frienna Awerbuch International Piano Competition. New York performances have placed her at Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, the Public Library for the Performing Arts, Symphony Space, 92nd St. Y, Steinway Hall, National Arts Club, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the Summer Festival at Rutgers University; in Europe she has played Berlin’s Konzerthaus and the Berliner Philharmonie.
The ensemble gave its inaugural concerts in 2005. In the duo’s own words, it “is redefining classical music, making it accessible and relevant to our times. By adding elements of jazz and Latin music, they create a global sound that everyone can relate to.” Committed to working with living composers, the pair has sustained creative ties with Paquito D'Rivera, Miguel del Aguila, Valerie Coleman, Jeff Scott, Mohammed Fairouz, J.P. Jofre, and Richard Padron, resulting in an extensive new cross-cultural repertory for clarinet and piano. Their multilingual ease and energetic platform manner allow them to connect readily with listeners of varied nationalities and backgrounds. In the United States the ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, and Le Poisson Rouge, and has conducted master classes at the Juilliard School along with additional institutions. Under contract with the Steinway & Sons label, the TransAtlantic Ensemble issued its first recording, Havana Moon, in 2016.
A native of Berlin, Ulex captured prizes at national festivals in Dresden and Leipzig during her youth, then relocated to New York, where she reached the finals of the Frienna Awerbuch International Piano Competition. New York performances have placed her at Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, the Public Library for the Performing Arts, Symphony Space, 92nd St. Y, Steinway Hall, National Arts Club, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Pianofest in the Hamptons, and the Summer Festival at Rutgers University; in Europe she has played Berlin’s Konzerthaus and the Berliner Philharmonie.
The ensemble gave its inaugural concerts in 2005. In the duo’s own words, it “is redefining classical music, making it accessible and relevant to our times. By adding elements of jazz and Latin music, they create a global sound that everyone can relate to.” Committed to working with living composers, the pair has sustained creative ties with Paquito D'Rivera, Miguel del Aguila, Valerie Coleman, Jeff Scott, Mohammed Fairouz, J.P. Jofre, and Richard Padron, resulting in an extensive new cross-cultural repertory for clarinet and piano. Their multilingual ease and energetic platform manner allow them to connect readily with listeners of varied nationalities and backgrounds. In the United States the ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, and Le Poisson Rouge, and has conducted master classes at the Juilliard School along with additional institutions. Under contract with the Steinway & Sons label, the TransAtlantic Ensemble issued its first recording, Havana Moon, in 2016.
Albums
