As a Southcentral Alaskan kid in the early ’90s, I was unaware of the composer patiently crafting his strict and sensuous body of work 600 miles to the north, close to the Arctic Circle. In 2013, after living, studying and composing for a decade on the Eastern Seaboard, I co-founded a new music project in Southcentral Alaska, and have since presented and performed the music of John Luther Adams there and elsewhere. I spoke with the composer over the phone on September 13. Referring to our shared identity, he quoted an old friend: “There’s no such thing as a former Alaskan.”
Unlimited access to our
