Adam Vidiksis

Wilmington

Established
Music: Composition

By: Gail Obenreder

“Music is my way of thinking about the world and processing its complexities.”

Music became a passion for composer and drummer Adam Vidiksis when, at age 10, he began to play the drums, “constantly tapping on everything,” eager to explore “as many genres, styles, and cultures as I could.” He also loved science and the humanities, and it all coalesced when, as a teen, Vidiksis began to produce electronic music, fascinated to incorporate new technologies into his work.

That fascination led him to a major career as a composer and musician, bolstered by the fact that as he grew up on Staten Island, New York, “my house was always filled with great music.” His mother, a poet, nurtured his creativity, while his father supported his love for science and technology and also encouraged “my musical journey by starting me on piano lessons with my great-grandmother’s (Nonna’s) small upright piano.” This upbringing sparked “an avid curiosity about how the world works” that has continued lifelong.

The Wilmington resident has lived in Delaware with his wife and two children for over fifteen years. A tenured music professor at Temple University, he is deeply involved in the regional music scene, as well as national and global music communities. He travels frequently to present or perform his work, which includes scores of concerts, dozens of professional presentations, and over forty commissioned compositions.

Early on, Vidiksis was influenced by an eclectic group of artists and composers ranging from Mozart and Stravinsky to Quincy Jones and Thelonius Monk. Now he’s inspired by the musicians who surround him daily – his Temple colleagues and students, his bandmates in various performing groups, and the collaborators and composers with whom he works. “The most rewarding part of my work is the community that music creates,” both with his peers and with his audiences.

“Interlude for Amy – Melanin Vibes,” 2021
Length of full work: 3 minutes 7 seconds
Instrument or voice part in the sample: composer

“American Chestnut,” 2024
Length of full work: 5 minutes 37 seconds
Instrument or voice part in the sample: composer

Like many composers, Vidiksis often draws inspiration from the world around him, exploring the natural world or human society, and “it’s important to me that these ideas are not secondary but woven into the very fabric of the music.” But this inspiration is only a starting point. He expands his work by “building musical ideas from data and analysis, frequently rooted in science or technology.” Vidiksis finds it challenging to make these illusory concepts essential to the work, rather than superficial, and often must understand topics at first unfamiliar to him.

Citing his endless curiosity about the world and its people, Vidiksis thus immerses himself in “a continuous cycle of learning,” exploring areas like mathematics, physics, electrical engineering, computer programming, and artificial intelligence. Particularly inspired by the “the spectacular features of Delaware’s natural beauty,” he enjoys all outdoor activities, happy to do “nearly anything when I’m with family or friends.” And he confesses that “the best part of my life is being a dad.”

Receiving a Fellowship, Vidiksis feels “deeply grateful to be recognized among such a remarkable roster of talented artists.” The award will allow him to further explore the state’s “cultural and natural landscape,” and he plans to present a First State “portrait concert” of his compositions. The project may include a new work inspired by the blue rocks at Alapocas Run Park that will allow him to “celebrate and highlight such a distinctive part of Delaware’s environment.”

 

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