Adam Donen works across disciplines and borders in words, sounds and performance, most notably in modern classical music, poetry, theatre and libretto. His aesthetic sensibilities veer between the Romantic and the Lynchian, and his politics (which imbues much of his work) is of the Left.
Collaboration is central to his work, and regular colleagues include Grammy-nominated producer Robert Harder (Brian Eno, Herbie Hancock), The Cure keyboardist Roger O’Donnell, photographer Magnus Arrevad and award-winning poet Adam Horovitz.
Over the past year, he has written and directed a puppet opera which enjoyed a sellout run in a cemetery, co-composed a Requiem for Christopher Hitchens and Russell Hoban, completed three libretti (due for publication this year), performed across Europe, and lectured at Tate Britain and Puppentheatrium Bremen.
Major recent influences on his thought and work are the ideas of Slavoj Zizek, the words of Thomas Bernhard and the choreography of Robert Wilson.
He is currently at work on a suite for orchestra and choir, based on the work of Bernhard, which will enjoy premieres in Germany and the United Kingdom this October, a libretto for Russian State Ballet, and a book of poetry inspired by Zizek.
He was born in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1985, and studied English Literature at UCL. His first poetry performance was delivered in 1990, in Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison to ANC freedom fighters.
