Each week, the OUMS newsletter features an interview with someone who positively contributes to the Oxford music scene. This week, we sat down with composer and violist Adam Possener, to ask about his work as a composer and violist in the Komuna Collective.
Adam Possener (he/him)
Composer and violist
Tell us a bit about yourself!
I'm a finalist at St Anne's College mostly focusing on composition and also ethnography. I run the Komuna Collective which is a group of artists, DJs and musicians that have performed in nightclubs around Oxford and London. I'm also play electric violin in a neo-soul/jazz-funk band called Velvet and a folktronica duo called Golem.
What are you working on at the moment?
Aside from finals, I'm writing an album for the string quartet in the Komuna Collective which is being recorded later this year. I'm trying to take a multi-media approach to composition at the moment, so we've been working a lot with electronics and video which will hopefully feature heavily in the album.
What has your favourite musical experience been at Oxford so far?
It's definitely a tie between two things. First one was the Komuna gig in Plush, we sold out the nightclub and having all those people listening to a string quartet at 1am was just so surreal. The other one is the last gig Velvet did at the Bullingdon, I did a cover of Jean-Luc Ponty's 'Mirage' on the viola which was so much fun.
Where can you see yourself going in the future?
I got some funding to go to Tbilisi in Georgia to research the queer rave scene there, so I'll be there for the whole of July and then back in Oxford in Michaelmas to present my research. I'm also studying at Darmstadt later in August which I'm pretty excited for too.
Can you give us a music recommendation?
Abdul Wadud's 1978 private press album 'By Myself' just got restored and is well worth a listen.
To keep updated with Adam's work, visit the link below:
More about the Komuna Collective
To find out more about the OUMS newsletter and our interviews, email Christopher at secretary@oums.co.uk.