BIOGRAPHY
Adrian's discovery of contemporary music through the works of Kurtag, Kagel and Ligeti in his teenage years opened a vital avenue that he continues to explore with huge enthusiasm alongside his passion for improvisation and programme curation. In 2014 Adrian became a member of the Nash Ensemble of London, with whom he is resident at Wigmore Hall throughout every season. Since 2025, he has been co-artistic director for the group, with pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips.
Adrian has recorded a wide range of music for Philips, Hyperion, ECM New Series, NMC, BIS and other labels. These include a survey of Beethoven's complete works for cello and piano with his father Alfred Brendel, a collection of pieces dedicated to him during many years of valuable collaboration with Sir Harrison Birtwistle, and much of the core chamber music repertoire, with Nash Ensemble and other partnerships.
2025 marked the beginning of Adrian's tenure as artistic director of Bath Mozartfest and Bachfest, one of the UK's most established classical music festivals. As founder of Plush festival in Dorset from 1995-2017, he forged an original programming style bringing together diverse thematic strands across a wide span of music, from Machaut to the present day. The festival attracted artists such as Sir Andras Schiff, Radu Lupu, Lawrence Power, Miklos Perenyi, Oliver Knussen and John Taylor amongst many regular visitors, and featured music by more than 100 contemporary composers. A new musical venture - Tree of Strings - begins in South West England in 2026, with a particular focus on young musicians and education.
Performance & Collaborations
Adrian is a familiar presence at many of Europe’s leading festivals, including Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Verbier, Aldeburgh, Edinburgh and Salzburg. He has performed as soloist with orchestras including NDR Hamburg, Gulbenkian, Academy of St Martins, Philharmonia and RSNO, and in recital with Till Fellner, Alasdair Beatson, Dame Imogen Cooper and Christian Hadland.
His musical pursuits beyond classical music have led to memorable encounters with Patti Smith, Baaba Maal and Nils Wogram’s Root 70 in recent years.
Artistic Direction
Bath Bachfest & Mozartfest
From 2025 - Artistic Director
From June 2025, Adrian has taken on a new role as artistic director of Bath Bachfest and Mozartfest, one of the UK's most prestigious classical festivals.
bathmozartfest.org.ukNash Ensemble
From 2025 - Co-artistic Director
Adrian is a long standing member of Nash Ensemble and has co-directed the group with Simon Crawford-Phillips from 2025, succeeding its founder and artistic director of 60 years, Amelia Freedman.
Tree of Strings
From 2026 - Artistic Director and Co-founder
A new project in South West England also begins under Adrian's direction, in 2026. Tree of Strings sets out to take music of all kinds into local schools and provide performance opportunities for talented young musicians alongside established artists, throughout the year.
treeofstrings.orgPlush Festival
1995-2017 - Founder
Adrian developed an original programming style from his time as curator of Plush Festival in Dorset, between 1995 and 2017. The concert series brought together diverse thematic strands across a wide span of music - from Machaut to the present day. They attracted artists such as Sir Andras Schiff, Radu Lupu, Lawrence Power, Miklos Perenyi, Oliver Knussen and John Taylor, among many regular visitors, and featured pieces by more than 100 contemporary composers.
Teaching & Education
Adrian was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in 2021 where he also gives masterclasses as guest professor, alongside a cello class at Guildhall school in London and private tuition. Increasingly in demand as a teacher, Adrian visits academies around Europe every year.