Biography
Adrian Dunn is a trailblazing, award-winning singer, composer, conductor, and multi-genre artist whose groundbreaking contributions to American music and have earned him international acclaim. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2024 and premiered Wonderful: A Soulful Celebration on PBS live at Milwaukee Symphony Hall. His European debut came at the Klangwolke Festival in Linz, Austria, collaborating with the legendary Francesca Zambello.
An Emmy Award-winning composer, Dunn received critical acclaim for his PBS special Emancipation, recorded live at the Harris Theater Millenium Park, which has surpassed 1 million streams and garnered four Grammy pre-nominations. He composed performed the Disney+/Hulu film Sacred Soil & is a MacArthur grant recipient for his original composition work Hopera: a hip hop Opera.
A visionary composer, Dunn received The American Prize in Composition for Requiem from The Mass for the Unarmed Child. He made his Ravinia festival debut with a commissioned composition Going Home with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Marin Alsop. He was choral conductor for The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed at Chicago’s Symphony Center and Wentz Hall in 2019 and made his conducting debut with the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra in 2021. He’s served as Chorus Master for Chicago Opera Theater, Southshore Opera company. His Requiem has been performed by ensembles including the Morehouse Glee Club & the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. He is currently composing The 42 Project, an opera based on the life of Jackie Robinson. As a published composer, he has over 10 published choral pieces with E.C. Schirmer & gentry labels.
Dunn’s artistry extends to media and film. The Adrian Dunn Singers performed the score for the Sundance film Honk for Jesus, starring Sterling K. Brown and Regina Hall.
In 2021, Dunn was named among the Chicago Tribune’s Top 10 Classical Music and Jazz Performances. He has sung with the Chicago Symphony Chorus, Grant Park Symphony Chorus, & frequent tenor soloist in Messiah & Beethoven 9th symphony. As a MacArthur grant recipient, his acclaimed Hopera: A Hip Hop Opera bridges the gap between hip-hop and opera, further cementing his role as a cultural innovator.
