Faculty Profile | Adam Pettit
Dr. Adam Pettit has served on the guitar faculty at PCM since 2010. He has engaged audiences across the United States, Canada, and Mexico with performances characterized by the Los Angeles Times as “meditative,” and “brilliantly colored, articulated and focused.” In addition to his solo appearances, Dr. Pettit collaborates with a number of ensembles in Southern California and is on the guitar faculty of Orange Coast College.
What is your favorite piece, performer, or composer:
AP: 1) Concerto for Orchestra by Bela Bartok and 2) Ryan Adams’ cover of Taylor Swift’s album, 1989 (Does this count?)
What is your favorite musical word:
AP: Doloroso and pretty much all of Erik Satie’s expressive markings.
What is something about you that most people don’t know:
AP: My favorite food is Taiwanese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, my favorite hobby is running, and my favorite tv show is The Expanse.
What is your favorite concert you’ve given or attended:
AP: Attending Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, at the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1998. This was the first time I traveled by train, alone. So, I guess it was the feeling of freedom. It certainly helped that this is one of the greatest orchestras of all time!
What do you like most about teaching:
AP: I love introducing students to new styles of music and historical thought.
