ADAM J. RINEER

ADAM J. RINEER (they/he) is an NYC-based composer, lyricist, librettist, music director, pianist, orchestrator/arranger, queer scholar, educator, and artistic leader dedicated to new musical theatre and interdisciplinary collaboration. Through creating and facilitating music in theatre, Adam tells stories that examine “otheredness”, queer social norms, and teach empathy accessibly through a wide range of music styles. Their musical composition explores popular/vernacular music styles in combination with contemporary classical composition techniques. They are constantly looking to bridge musical theatre and popular music by combining the theatricality that exists in both worlds.

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Their musicals include ​The Naked Truth​ (Semi-Finalist—Eugene O'Neill National Musical Theatre Conference, The Green Room 42, The West End Lounge), ​Obscene, Lewd, Lascivious, and Filthy!​ (National Alliance for Musical Theatre 15-minute Musical Contest Winner, The Latest Draft Podcast), ​A Trip To The Moon​ (The Maas Building, Temple University, Polyphone Musical Festival Semi-Finalist), ​Ghosted​ (2020 National Coming out Day Short Play Festival, featured at New York Musical Festival), Sick Moves! (or The Dancing Plague of 1518) (Temple University workshop production),​ and ​BrandedTM!​ (Polyphone Musical Festival Finalist). Adam is currently being commissioned by Prima Theatre in Lancaster, PA to write a full-length musical.

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Adam’s songs have been featured in “A Little New Music” (LA new musical theatre series) and at New York Musical Festival (N.Y.M.F.) as well as various cabarets and concerts across the country. They were a songwriter on the second season of the award-winning web series Merce, one of which POZ Magazine named the 2017 World Aids Day Anthem, and to the first season of Trust the Process, a musical mockumentary series produced by Exequtive Entertainment, LLC.

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Adam’s work as a music director and pianist has taken them all over the Northeast Region including Goodspeed Musicals, TheatreWorks Hartford, Prima Theatre, Gretna Theatre, Interlakes Summer Theatre, and various NYC cabarets and concert performances. As an educator, they have worked with students as an instructor, music director, or accompanist at CAP21/Molloy College, Temple University, The University of the Arts, The Hartt School, and New York University.

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Adam's interest in social justice work and musical theatre intersect in their work as an artistic leader. They are the Founding Artistic Director of UNTITLED Musical Project which is dedicated to providing space for marginalized musical theatre writers of BIPOC/Global Majority, LGBTQIA+/Queer, and their intersecting identities to develop their work and engage in supporting and critiquing their colleague's work.

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Adam is currently pursuing a D.M.A. in Composition at The Hartt School with a Hartt Talent Scholarship. They graduated from Temple University as part of the inaugural George and Joy Abbott Musical Theatre cohort with an M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Collaboration (Composer/Lyricist Concentration) as well as a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. They graduated with a B.A. in Music (Performance Emphasis: Piano) from the Tell School of Music at Millersville University. Adam is a proud member of The Dramatists Guild.