Alumni Highlights
Adam Cuthbert, Japanese, BFA Music Composition, 2010
Adam Cuthbert
2010 Graduate
Language: Japanese
Major: Music Composition
Having fallen in love with Tokyo’s urban expanse during his semester abroad through the Padnos International Center, Adam Cuthbert moved to New York City (America’s next-best thing) after graduating from GVSU’s music program. In NYC, he enjoys a multifaceted career as a freelance composer and sound designer, and record label manager, having performed programs at The Asia Society and Japan Society, as well as myriad concert and theatre venues around the city. In 2018 he returned to Japan as a sales and licensing representative of Cantaloupe Music, meeting for business with Japanese record industry executives and assisting in the production of a concert in Tokyo of music by Studio Ghibli composer Joe Hisaishi and American composer David Lang. Last year, Cuthbert co-composed the GVSU New Music Ensemble’s album RETURN (Innova Records) and returned to campus to perform on the album release concert, and also to accept the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award from GVSU’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He uses his Japanese language and linguistics background daily to keep in touch with friends from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, where he studied abroad, enjoy Japanese-language books, manga, and animation, and cook from Japanese recipes.
Updated March 2019
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