John Adams (b. 1947) grew up in New England and studied at Harvard with Leon Kirchner and Roger Sessions. He lives in San Francisco, California, where he is Music Adviser to the San Francisco Symphony and a faculty member at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Influenced by John Cage and Steve Reich, Mr. Adams' music is both electronic and instrumental, and known for its combination of minimalism and romanticism. Peter Martins has choreographed several works to the music of John Adams including Adams Violin Concerto, The Chairman Dances, Fearful Symmetries, Slonimsky's Earbox, and Todo Buenos Aires.