Honorary Graduates 2025 – Piers Adams
World-renowned recorder player Piers Adams has been awarded an honorary doctorate in Music by the University of Chichester today.
Described as ‘the reigning recorder virtuoso in the world today’ by The Washington Post, Piers is a celebrated musician. Following his acclaimed debut in London’s Wigmore Hall in 1985, Piers has given over 1,000 concerts on four continents, performing concertos with the Philharmonia, English Sinfonia, the BBC Concert Orchestra and many more, in venues including the Royal Festival, Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore Halls, as well as in private concerts for the then Prince of Wales and the late Duke of Edinburgh.
His Baroque quartet Red Priest reached No. 1 in the UK classical charts and the trailblazing ensemble has brought the thrill of baroque music to audiences across the globe. They have appeared many times on TV and radio – including televised features for NHK (Japan) and LWT’s The South Bank Show (UK) – and recorded seven discs on their own label (Red Priest Recordings), including the No.1 bestselling album The Baroque Bohemians (2017).
Asked how he felt about receiving the degree, Piers said: “It’s a bit surreal, but amazing, a real honour and it’s come totally out of the blue, a real surprise.”
When asked if he had any advice for graduating students, he said: “It’s important to find your own unique thing that you want to do or say and follow that. Find your unique selling point. Go confidently forward with that as we all always have something different to offer.”
Thinking back on his own career he said: “I was always a whizz-kid recorder player at school but I had no real formal training – everything was off my own bat. I had various good teachers on the way but the recorder player Frans Brüggen was a big player who was an inspiration to me and a whole generation of players.”
Piers has performed many times with the University of Chichester Conservatoire Baroque Orchestra, sharing his experience and astonishing skill with the students.
