The Peabody community mourns the November 21, 2025, passing of Conservatory alumnus and longtime faculty member Clinton Adams.
Clinton Adams was a Professor of Music Theory, teaching ear-training for the Peabody Conservatory since 1983. A musician with great gifts and greater discipline, Professor Adams improved the aural skills and musicianship of students at every level, from entering undergraduates in need of remediation to doctoral students with absolute pitch and fledgling careers. Two generations of Peabody students hear more in music and understand more of what they hear because of his careful instruction.
A native of Hartford, CT, Adams studied at the Hartford Conservatory from a young age and completed an undergraduate degree at the Hartt School in 1968. He taught studio piano at Hartt while working as a performer and collaborative pianist in greater New England. A staff position at the Washington Ballet brought him to the Mid-Atlantic region in 1979 and Adams enrolled in the graduate program at Peabody, earning a Master of Music in 1983, followed by an appointment to the Conservatory faculty.
The Peabody community mourns the passing of Conservatory alumnus and longtime faculty member Clinton Adams.
Clinton Adams was a Professor of Music Theory, teaching ear-training for the Peabody Conservatory since 1983. A musician with great gifts and greater discipline, Adams improved the aural skills and musicianship of students at every level, from entering undergraduates in need of remediation to doctoral students with absolute pitch and fledgling careers. Two generations of Peabody students hear more in music and understand more of what they hear because of Clinton’s careful instruction.
A native of Hartford, CT, Adams studied at the Hartford Conservatory from a young age and completed an undergraduate degree at the Hartt School in 1968. He taught studio piano at Hartt while working as a performer and collaborative pianist in greater New England. A staff position at the Washington Ballet brought him to the Mid-Atlantic region in 1979 and Adams enrolled in the graduate program at Peabody, earning a Master of Music in 1983, followed by an appointment to the Conservatory faculty.
Alongside his exacting teaching schedule, and despite health issues that required the use of a wheelchair, Adams never stopped performing and coaching. He served as pianist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Concert Artists of Baltimore. He booked performances and tours throughout North and South America, Europe, and South Africa as collaborator, chamber musician, and soloist. He was especially known for his collaborations with cellists, including Evan Drachman, Zuill Bailey, and Hans Goldstein. And he made recordings with Mark Sparks and a recording of Judith Lang Zaimont’s music.
On top of his heavy teaching load and extensive performing, Adams developed two graduate seminars on the two books of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Famously, Clinton taught and played 48 preludes and fugues – approximately four hours of music – from memory and analyzed them extemporaneously. He also leveraged his years of professional work as a coach and collaborative musician to accompany students in recitals and studio classes. The breadth of his teaching and his impact on students earned Adams the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association’s Excellence in Teaching Award for 2018.
Teaching sustained Clinton: he leapt into each new school year with a sense of adventure. Even in throes of his final illness, Clinton made a point of telling those around him that it had been an honor to teach at Peabody for more than 40 years. Peabody has been truly fortunate for his influence on our community and our alumni around the world.
Adams’ legacy will be honored with a celebration of life at Peabody at a time yet to be determined. In lieu of flowers, Adams asked that donations be made in his memory to Peabody, cancer research, and animal protection agencies.