Adam Tully: Cuartetos Guitarreros

Born in New York and based in Buenos Aires, Adam Tully is a composer with an unusual story. After an upbringing filled with choral music and classical guitar, he stepped into the world of tango at age 20 while studying abroad in Argentina, immediately deciding to pursue the music and its guitar tradition. After years of apprenticeship and performance he felt compelled to start composing original music, creating a language which has deep tango roots but is also unafraid to step away from them. 

Tully’s music, described as contemporary, respectful of the tradition, calm, and percussive, reflects diverse influences such as jazz, tango, and contemporary classical and contemplative music. In the words of the composer: “I’m interested in developing my own voice; one which understands the music from the inside, but is also coming from the outside.” After a decade of performing his own compositions in several formats—solo guitar, mixed trio, guitar quartet, and mixed quintet—he began to compose original music for other performers, such as Arco & Aire, La Orquesta Porteña de Mandolinas, and various guitar ensembles. Since 2020, this body of work has gradually expanded to include tango orchestra, solo piano, solo ukulele, and solo viola. Future commissions include works for clarinet and piano, and a double concerto for bandoneon, guitar, and string orchestra. 

As a performer, Tully is a fixture on the Buenos Aires contemporary tango scene, regularly performing his original works in venues such as the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and Guitarras del Mundo, Argentina’s premier international guitar festival. He has also toured in Japan, Europe, and the United States.