Adam Unsworth has been appointed professor of horn at the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, effective September 1, 2025.

Unsworth is currently professor of horn at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre and Dance, where he has taught since 2007. He is also principal horn of the Ann Arbor Symphony. Unsworth was previously a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra (1998-2007) and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (1995-1998).

"Adam Unsworth is a well-respected pedagogue and performer whose wide-ranging career spans orchestral, chamber, and solo work in a broad range of genres, including classical, jazz, and new music. He will be a valuable addition to the Bienen School’s renowned performance faculty," said Dean Jonathan Bailey Holland.

As a soloist, Unsworth is featured on the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s 2024 release Masks and Machines, performing Mondrian’s Studio by Paul Dooley. He has five recordings as a leader to his credit: Snapshots, a recording of contemporary classical music with composer/pianist Catherine Likhuta; Balance for jazz sextet and chamber orchestra; Just Follow Instructions, featuring the chamber music of composer Daniel Schnyder; Next Step; and Excerpt This!, jazz recordings which received critical acclaim from jazz and classical reviewers alike. He appeared as soloist with the University of Michigan Symphony Band on the premiere performance of Mondrian’s Studio (2019) and the first studio recording of Dana Wilson’s Concerto for Horn and Wind Ensemble (2009).

Unsworth is a member of the New York-based Gil Evans Project big band, which received two Grammy nominations for its recordings Centennial and Lines of Color and won the 2013 Jazz Journalist Association Award for large jazz ensemble of the year. He is also part of Miho Hazama’s M-Unit band, appearing on her 2023 release Beyond Orbits and her Grammy-nominated recordings Dancer in Nowhere and Time River. He has been a guest musician with new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound, Meridian Arts Ensemble, and Ensemble Signal.

Unsworth received his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has toured Asia and Europe with the San Francisco Symphony and performs as a guest with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. For the past five years he has performed with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra and will serve as a faculty member at the Brevard Music Festival in the summer of 2025.