FULL BIOGRAPHY (~950 words)

Adam Tan (b. 1994) (he/him) is a marimba soloist, composer, educator and content creator based in Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia). ​​​Adam has performed hundreds of solo performances and delivered over 50 clinics and masterclasses to audiences in Argentina, Australia, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. As a composer, Adam's works for percussion have been performed by thousands in over 45 countries across six continents.

 

Highlights include solo clinic "The Self-Made Percussionist" to a full house at the 49th Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC 2024) and masterclasses and performances at University of Texas at Austin, University of Memphis, Arkansas State University, Middle Tennessee State University, University of North Alabama, VCS Conservatory of the Arts, Lamar University, Langham Creek HS, Foster HS, West Fork HS, Ridge Point HS (USA), JMS Aster Plaza, inc. percussion days in Sagamiko (Japan), Taipei National University of the Arts, Chinese Culture University, National Sun-Yat Sen University, National Kaohsiung Normal University, Luodong Senior High School, Kaohsiung Senior High School, Wu-Ling Senior High School (Taiwan), PAS Hong Kong Days of Percussion, 505A Percussion Gathering, Oh! Asian Percussionists Series (Hong Kong), Malaysia Percussion Festival, UWA Conservatorium of Music and Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Australia), and online masterclasses for Victoriano Lopez Music School (Honduras), the Conservatorio Superior de Música Ástor Piazzolla (Argentina), University of Texas Austin and Southern Utah University (USA),

 

Adam has also served as faculty artist and/or adjudicator for the 5th Thailand International Percussion Festival (Thailand), Total Perkusi Mallets Day in Yogyakarta (Indonesia), HKYMI Western Percussion Ensemble Contest (Hong Kong), Austin Percussion Festival, Black Swamp Percussion Solo & Ensemble Showcase, MalletLab Summer Intensive (USA), Marimbafest Australia 2021-2025, D2Drumline's National Drumline Camp, Australian Percussion Eisteddfod, WA Day of Percussion and Garland Music Festival (Australia), and adjudicates both Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) and International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations.

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Adam's compositions appear on compulsory repertoire lists worldwide in schools, competitions and festivals, including the UIL Texas Prescribed Music List (PML), Trinity College London Diploma Repertoire List and FBA Bandmasters Association Solo List. Adam's works are available to listen to on all music streaming platforms and stores and sheet music is available both self-published on his online store and also in hard copy by Edition Svitzer (Denmark), available in all major sheet music retailers. Adam's work has been featured multiple times in Percussive Notes, Cut Common Magazine, and @ Percussion.

 

Adam is the director and owner of AM Percussion Studio (formerly THE STUDIO By Adam Tan), a Perth-based percussion studio, academy and event space, co-directed alongside award-winning Japanese marimbist Machi Ishida. Adam is also Academic Staff (Percussion) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and was Lecturer and Tutor at UWA Conservatorium of Music (2019-2022).

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Adam is Founder and Executive Director of Marimbafest Australia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of percussive arts in Australia. Marimbafest Australia has hosted over 300 participants from 15 countries in its annual international marimba festival and competition Marimbafest (2019, and between 2021 to 2025) and hosted numerous artists including Ivan Trevino, Matthew Lau, Kana Omori,  Machi Ishida, Han-Chih Tai and Han-Yen Kao from Ju Percussion Group, Pauline Roberts, Master Christopher, Lynn Vartan, Robert Oetomo, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones and more. In recognition of his event leadership, Adam was nominated for the CEWA Young Leadership Award in the 2024 7NEWS Young Achiever Awards.

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With a combined 50,000+ followers and over 10 million views, Adam is also recognised for his content creation endeavours across YouTube and Instagram. Adam has an online course about creating your own career path hosted by The Percussion Conservatory (USA) entitled "The Self-Made Percussionist Starter Pack". In recognition of his work, Adam was invited by Taiwan's Ju Percussion Group as a VIP guest at the 11th Taiwan International Percussion Convention (TIPC) 2023 in Taipei.

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Adam has a Master of Music (Research, Percussion) and Bachelor of Music (1st Class Hons) from the UWA Conservatorium of Music, receiving the Lady Callaway Medal for Music, Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) Prize in Third-Year Performance, ROSL Postgraduate Scholarship, UWA Graduates Prize in Music and the Australian Postgraduate Award. Adam is also a current PhD student at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). Adam has been under the tutelage of Dr Paul Tanner, Nicole Turner, Tim White and Dr Louise Devenish, and received mentorship from Mark Applebaum, Kuniko Kato, Doug Perkins, Suyin Tan and Nancy Zeltsman. Adam also received the Encouragement Award at the Australian Marimba Competition in 2018.

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In 2021, Adam started development on a signature series of marimba mallets, the Encore Mallets Adam Tan series (developed in conjunction with Encore Mallets/Salyers Percussion). Its alpaca wool yarn, oversized round SBR core and latex wrap creates the signature warmth, weight and clarity that Adam uses in not only his music, but most other marimba solo styles as well. The AT series launched in July 2022 and has already sold over 3,000 pairs in stores worldwide, including Steve Weiss Music (USA), Percussion Source (USA). Sweetwater (USA), Southern Percussion (UK), PercussionSpirit (Hong Kong), CCPercussion (Taiwan), Optimum Percussion (Australia), Music Spice Hiroshima and Japan Percussion Center (Japan).

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In 2023, Adam also spent five months developing a new travel backpack for everyday percussionists called THE TRAVELLER By Adam Tan. Produced in collaboration with HAOSEN (Taiwan), THE TRAVELLER houses 20 pairs of mallets with all your everyday items in a convenient and travel-minded package with secret compartments, luggage strap, sternum strap, double-stitched padded handles and free-standing base. THE TRAVELLER was launched at PASIC 2023, selling out on its first day of release and is stocked by retailers worldwide including Steve Weiss Music and more (USA).

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Adam is a Premier Artist of Marimba One (USA) who performs on a Marimba One Izzy (Traditional/Classic), and is a Signature Artist of Encore Mallets and Salyers Percussion (USA) with the Encore Mallets Adam Tan mallet series. Adam's music is published by Edition Svitzer (Denmark). Adam is also an Artist Endorser for Black Swamp Percussion (USA), and created 'THE TRAVELLER by Adam Tan', a backpack for everyday percussionists with HAOSEN (Taiwan). Adam is also an Artist for Soundbrenner (Hong Kong), Associate Artist with the Australian Music Centre and a Course Creator and Instructor with The Percussion Conservatory.

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SHORT BIOGRAPHY (~200 words)

Adam Tan (b. 1994) (he/him) is a marimba soloist, composer and content creator based in Boorloo (Perth, Western Australia). 

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Adam has performed hundreds of solo performances and delivered over 50 masterclasses to audiences in Argentina, Australia, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom and United States. ​As a composer, Adam's works for percussion have been performed by thousands of percussionists across six continents in over 45 countries, and appear on compulsory repertoire lists in schools, competitions and festivals.

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​Adam is also the Founder and Executive Director of Marimbafest Australia, which has hosted over 300 participants from 16 countries in its international marimba festival and competition Marimbafest (with six festivals in 2019, 2021-2025). Adam is also the diretor and owner of percussion studio and event space in Perth/Boorloo, AM Percussion Studio (formerly THE STUDIO By Adam Tan) and serves as Academic Staff (Percussion) at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA).

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Adam is a Premier Artist of Marimba One, Signature Artist of Encore Mallets and Salyers Percussion with the Encore Mallets Adam Tan mallet series, Composer with Edition Svitzer, Artist Endorser for Black Swamp Percussion, Designer of 'THE TRAVELLER by Adam Tan' with HAOSEN, Artist for Soundbrenner and Associate Artist with the Australian Music Centre and a Course Creator and Instructor with The Percussion Conservatory.