Em. Prof. Peter Adams
Peter Adams is Emeritus Professor of Music in the School of Performing Arts at the University of Otago, and a well-known conductor, composer, and Clarinetist. A Commonwealth Scholarship took him to King’s College, London where he completed an MMus in Music Theory and Analysis. After freelancing in London, he returned to New Zealand in 1986 and began his academic career at Otago University in 1990. He lectures on composition, harmony and analysis and musicology. In his many years on the staff, Peter has built up a fine reputation as a composer and as a conductor and musical director working all around New Zealand.
Peter was the Musical Director of the City of Dunedin Choir for ten years from 1987 to 1996. He has conducted Dunedin’s Dunedin Symphony Orchestra on many occasions and has a long-standing relationship conducting the Dunedin Youth Orchestra, The Dunedin City Wind Orchestra and the St Kilda Brass.
As a guest conductor Peter has given concerts all around the country with the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra, the Da Capo Chamber Orchestra of Christchurch, the Viva Chamber Orchestra of Nelson, and with many of the country’s best brass bands. Peter is something of a specialist in working with young people: For 2012 – 2015 he was Musical Director of the NZ National Youth Brass Band and took them to China in August 2012 for an international youth arts festival. Peter is the musical director of the Waitaki Summer Music School and has conducted the NZ Secondary Schools Symphony Orchestra and the South Island Youth Orchestra.
Peter is also active as a composer, arranger, and adjudicator, having adjudicated many performing arts competitions, brass band contests and the secondary schools chamber music contest. As a composer, Adams has written many works and arrangements that have been performed throughout New Zealand and in the UK and North America. He has written several large-scale works for orchestra, brass and wind bands, as well as chamber music for woodwind and string combinations. His music is published by Promethean editions and recorded by Rattle Records and Radio New Zealand.
Ret. Sgt. David Jackson
David started his career in music on Trombone at 16 years of age spending the first 18 years of his musical career in Las Vegas working in bands on and off the Las Vegas Strip, various chamber ensembles, musical productions, and as a Tenor Trombonist and Auxiliary Brass Specialist for the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra, while also teaching privately and coaching Championship Marching Band programs.
His Teachers include the Big Band Trombone Legend, Si Zentner, Frank Sinatra’s Lead Trombonist, Bobby Scann, Dr. Ken Hanlon and the Principal Trombonist of the NY Philharmonic, Joseph Alessi. David Jackson is a Sponsored Artist for Butler Trombones and Giddings Mouthpieces.
After Disney’s Lion King the Musical ended its Las Vegas run at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in 2012, David won a position with the United States Army Bands where he served as a Low Brass Expert and Lead Singer for the Rock Bands, Jazz Combos, Brass Quintets, Marching Bands and Chamber Ensembles for 9 years before being medically retired in 2021 as a Sergeant.
After his Military Retirement, He was a regular member of the Nashville music scene as both a Low Brass Multi-Instrumentalist and Vocalist for Big Bands, Cover bands, and Orchestras all over Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. He has been a Guest Lecturer for Masterclasses and Trombone Days at University Schools of Music throughout the United States. Currently, he is freelancing all over New Zealand, a member of 8 local bands in Hawke’s Bay, and the Band Leader of Davey Jack, Davey Jack Brass and Hawke’s Brass Quintet.