2023 recipient

Adam Sadberry

Flutist and educator Adam W. Sadberry is paving a distinctive career with his citizenry, creativity, and vibrancy both on and off stage. As a winner of Concert Artists Guild’s 2021 Victor Elmaleh Competition, he is performing nationwide, and he is tremendously excited to make his debut at Merkin Hall in NYC during March 2023 where he will premiere a composition by Dameun Strange that is inspired by Adam’s late grandfather and unsung hero of the Civil Rights Movement, L. Alex Wilson.

Adam’s commitment to citizenry is reflected through his collegiate work. He is on the flute faculty at the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) for the spring 2023 semester, and he is also in-demand for residencies at colleges and arts schools around the country. He shares presentations that cover topics including awareness, identity, relevance, and the intersection of music and a legacy of journalism during the Civil Rights Movement.

Alexander Technique has influenced Adam into living a growth-oriented life since he was sixteen years old, and now that he is pursuing the practice formally, he is using it as a decolonization practice. Through developing the use of Self, Adam uses his practice to develop resistance to life’s pressures including those that derive from capitalist, white supremecist, patriarchal, and imperialist structures. Too many people, especially marginalized people, are unable to unlock their potential because they were taught by their families and the world that they don’t have much. Adam wants to help change that narrative through teaching Alexander Technique practices that he has found to magnetize authenticity, courage, equity, love, community, and peacefulness.