Bio
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Adrian Freedman (b. 1962) is a British composer and multi-instrumentalist specialising in the shakuhachi, Japanese zen flute.
A musician of extraordinary breadth, his musical journey encompasses the fields of Baroque music, contemporary and improvised music, folk-fusion, soundtracks for theatre and contemporary dance, Japanese traditional music and devotional songs.
Studied music at Manchester University, Guildhall School of Music, and Kyoto Arts University. Studied composition at the Centre Arcanthes in Paris with Iannis Xenakis.
Lived in Japan for 7 years, where he studied the shakuhachi with renowned master Yokoyama Katsuya. Later lived in Brazil where he became immersed in sacred music rituals of the forest and composed a collection of more than 150 original songs and chants.
He worked as musical director for Kneehigh Theatre and Wildworks Theatre, composing and performing music for a series of site-specific productions in Malta, Cyprus, France and the UK between 2002-2007.
He has also worked as Musical Director for with Northern Stage, Scottish Contemporary Dance, Stopgap Dance Company, Zen Zen Zo, Eden Project and many others.
In Japan he worked extensively with Japanese Butoh dancers, including Atsushi Takenouchi, Yurabe Masami and Katsura Kan, creating soundtracks for contemporary dance and film.
Toured Europe and the US with the folk-fusion group East Whistle, including the Black Mountain Folk Festival in North Carolina, Krakow Folk Festival, Poland and Avignon Festival, France
Has devised and led creative music projects in over 100 schools and colleges in the UK, including ‘Through Eastern Eyes’ (2001-2002) a creative arts project that introduced over 600 UK schoolchildren to Japanese illustrated children’s books and created new music as a response.
Recent projects include with cellist Matthew Barley, folk singer Sam Lee, Andy Barlow of the electronic group Lamb, singer Chloë Goodchild, drumming group Kagemusha Taiko, Okinawan singer Kyoko Tadaoka, Belgian storyteller Iwan Kushka, and others.
Produced and released eight albums including Music on the Edge of Silence, Two Rivers, Wind in the Branches, The Phoenix Tree, Night Journey and As I Breathe.
Many of these albums are musical collaborations that can be seen as groundwork for the more elaborate collaborative nature of the Kindred Souls album.
In 2014 Adrian was invited to play shakuhachi for the Dalai Lama.