Jonathon Adams

Jonathon Adams (born October 2, 1990) is a Cree-Métis (Nêhiyaw-Michif) baritone vocalist from Edmonton (amiskwaciwâskahikan). They specialize in early and baroque music.

Jonathon Adams
Born	(1990-10-02) October 2, 1990 (age 34)[1] Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Occupation	Baritone

Early life and education

Adams was born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised by an adoptive white settler family.^[2] They attended secondary school at the Victoria School Of Performing And Visual Arts, graduating as part of the class of 2008.^[3] In their early twenties, Adams began to reconnect with their indigenous heritage, including their biological mother, who was from the Bigstone Cree Nation.^[4][5][6]

Adams would go on to study at the Royal Academy of Music in London, the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (to pursue a Masters degree in Early Music vocals),^[3] and the Victoria Conservatory of Music in Victoria, British Columbia.^[4] They have also studied under the tutelage of Nancy Argenta, Emma Kirkby, and Edith Wiens.^[7][8]

Career

They have performed as a soloist alongside the San Francisco Symphony directed by Masaaki Suzuki, Philippe Herreweghe, and Sigiswald Kuijken. Adams has also performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, and the New York Philharmonic.^[9][10][11] They are a Netherlands Bach Society fellow.^[12][7][13]

They were invited to the University of Toronto as an Artist-in-Residence from 2022-2023 for the school's Early Music Department.^[7]

Adams is currently based in Montreal.^[4]

Personal life

Adams is two-spirit. They identify as non-binary^[14] and use they/them pronouns.^[15]