Death of leading British vocal coach Ian Adam

[Andrew Lowe Watson]

Posted: 5/10/07 at 6:45pm

Ian Adam, vocal coach to leading West End and Broadway stars, has died in London after a short illness. He worked closely with Andrew Lloyd Webber on many of his most successful shows such as Evita, Cats, Starlight Express and Phantom and coached the legendary OLC of Les Miserables. His penetrating, intensely musical and inspirational teaching had a profound influence on the singing style of artists like Michael Crawford, Elaine Paige and Michael Ball, and indeed the success of the British Musical in the 1980s owes a good deal to his committed husbandry of the singers in his care.

All of us who worked with him shall miss his wicked and unrepeatable humour as well his immense kindness and generosity. He would often waive his fee in the case of exceptional but poor students, and to the confusion of his accompanists, myself included, operated a complicated system of billing depending on the resources of his proteges, with top rates only for those sent direct from Hollywood studios. One of his last projects was the film of Sweeney Todd.

Ian had literally hundreds of friends: his phone book read like a Who's Who of Musical Theatre, and to all of them he gave unstinting encouragement and support. Whether they were household names like Twiggy, Jeremy Irons, Stephanie Powers, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Crawford, Kenneth Branagh or Sally Anne Howes, all of whom I had the privilege to work with in his studio, or struggling young drama school hopefuls, he found time for everyone. As he once said in a TV series about singing that brought him instant national fame in the late 80s, anybody can learn to sing. If anyone could make that true it was Ian. With his deep musicianship ( he worked as a young man with Benjamin Britten and had a profound love of opera) and his genius for bringing out the potential in any voice, he brought a touch of magic to the London and Broadway stage.




Updated On: 5/10/07 at 06:45 PM

[Sally]

Posted: 5/11/07 at 4:43pm

Thank you for posting this lovely tribute to Ian Adam.

[Khashoggi]

Posted: 5/12/07 at 9:16am

This is a great loss. Mr. Adam will be sorely missed. A great influence on the modern musical as we know it. RIP.

[Andante]

Posted: 5/12/07 at 9:28pm

Lovely tribute; mucho thanks for posting.

Rest in peace, Mr. Adam. You were a true gift to the musical theatre world.

[Andrew Lowe Watson]

Posted: 5/13/07 at 4:04am

A few personal memories of Ian: He never answered the phone but if you called when he had finished teaching you knew could be sure that once he knew who it was he would pick up the phone and say "Oh hello darling' in that lovely soft Scots voice. He was extremely proud of his Scottish roots and always insisted that I was a Scot too -only 1/4 true. He loved the high life and would never miss a first night - I remember seeing him at Woman in White on the arm of a well-known actress friend as he swept past the popping bulbs and the fashion victims. He would often party until late at his favourite restaurants, Joe Allens and the Ivy.

Those who were lucky enough to know him have lost a very dear friend and a wonderful musician.

[Glory2]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 4:24pm

Ian Adam was very dear to me and my Mum. Have so many great memories. He taught a lot of Americans in shows like 'Chorus Line'. He was a member of Ballet Rambert once upon a time and loved teaching dancers to sing.

I hear Gillian Lynne is directing a memorial concert in London with a lot of his more famous pupils at Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket, on Sunday 24 February 2008 at 7:30PM in aid of the Royal Brompton Hospital Ian Adam Memorial fund.

He regarded everyone he taught as extended family. Can't miss him because I feel he is with me and think of him often when somewhere we went together.

Updated On: 1/23/08 at 04:24 PM

[EganFan2]

Posted: 1/23/08 at 4:47pm

How lovely, and so sad.