TransAtlantic Ensemble

The TransAtlantic Ensemble is the duo of clarinetist Mariam Adam and pianist Evelyn Ulex, collaborating with other musicians. They are transatlantic not only in the sense that Adam is of American origin and Ulex is European, but also that both have pursued careers on both sides of the great ocean. Of Egyptian and Mexican background, Adam was born in Monterey, California. She has divided her time between New York and Paris, and between classical music and jazz. On the classical side she is a founding member of the Imani Winds, with whom she has recorded seven albums since the early 2000s. As a solo artist Adam has performed with the Sacramento Symphony, the Monterey Symphony, and the Prince George Philharmonic, and she has played in chamber groups at Chamber Music Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, the Skaneateles Festival, the Chenango Festival, Fontana Arts, La Folle Journée Festival in Nantes, Théâtre de l'Archipel in Perpignan, Musica da Curitiba-Brazil, and various other festivals and series in the United States, Europe, and South America. Ulex, a native of Berlin, won national festivals in Dresden and Leipzig as a youth, later moving to New York and becoming a finalist at the Frienna Awerbuch International Piano Competition. She has appeared in New York at Carnegie Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, the Public Library for the Performing Arts, Symphony Space, 92nd St. Y, Steinway Hall, National Arts Club, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the International Pianofest in the Hamptons, the Summer Festival at Rutgers University, Berlin's Konzerthaus, and the Berliner Philharmonie. The TransAtlantic Ensemble gave its first performances in 2005. By the duo's own proclamation it "is redefining classical music, making it accessible and relevant to our times. By adding elements of jazz and Latin music, they create a global sound that everyone can relate to." The TransAtlantic Ensemble has striven to collaborate with living composers, cultivating ongoing relationships with Paquito D'Rivera, Miguel del Aguila, Valerie Coleman, Jeff Scott, Mohammed Fairouz, J.P. Jofre, and Richard Padron to create a large new cross-cultural body of work for clarinet and piano. Multilingual and enthusiastic, the duo interacts well with audiences from diverse countries and backgrounds. In the U.S. the duo has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Symphony Space, and Le Poisson Rouge, and has given master classes at the Juilliard School as well as at other institutions. Signing with the Steinway & Sons label, the TransAtlantic Ensemble released its debut album, Havana Moon, in 2016.
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