Speaker
Adam Tendler
2026 GRAMMY® Nominated
Concert Pianist
A "daring pianist" praised for his "adventurousness and muscular skill" (The New York Times), 2026 Grammy-nominated artist Adam Tendler has been called "the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene" (Minneapolis Star Tribune), “relentlessly adventurous” (Washington Post), a "remarkable and insightful musician" (LA Times), an "intrepid... maverick pianist" (The New Yorker), and "one of contemporary classical music's most intentional and daring pianists" (Seven Days). His Inheritances album, 16 new pieces commissioned using the inheritance left after his father's unexpected death, has been nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY® as Best Classical Instrumental Solo, was a New York Times Critic Pick, which wrote, "You will be moved, profoundly and intensely," and described the project as "a display of contemporary compositional force...a true show...emotionally involving...with a sense of true dramatic stakes." The Washington Post added, "the biggest emotional gut punch I got from a concert all year." Tendler’s 2024 immersive installation, Exit Strategy, as Green-wood Cemetery’s artist in residence, received national attention and engaged hundreds of contributing community members. He is the author of two books, a Yamaha Artist, and serves on the piano faculty at NYU.
A Conversation about Inheritances
When the pianist Adam Tendler was handed a thick envelope of cash in a Denny's parking lot after his father’s unexpected death half a decade ago, he didn’t know what to do with his surprise inheritance. Yes, he was a thriving classical pianist in New York, his DIY approach to programming and presenting new music already earning him a stellar reputation in the worlds of mainstream and underground classical and contemporary music. But the city is expensive, of course, and perhaps he could offset his expenses for several months with the windfall.
While watching some friends perform one night, he had an idea: What if he funneled these funds into a series of commissions by some of his favorite composers — also his dearest friends — and wove them into a program about memory and loss, relationships and life? The result is Inheritances, a one-of-a-kind contemporary music phenomenon that has touched listeners from across the globe, nominated for a 2026 GRAMMY® and featured in the New York Times and CBS Sunday Morning.
We'll ask Adam to share his experiences creating and evolving the 2026 GRAMMY® nominated work, Inheritances, through the lens of service design. Join us for this informal conversation between Adam Tendler and SDGC Virtual Event Lead Agusta Callaway.