Adam Karelin bridges art and the world around it through his work as a composer, conductor, and arts leader. He graduated from USC as its Valedictorian and is currently back to pursue his M.S. in Arts Leadership.

During his tenure as the Music Director of the Student Symphony Orchestra of USC, Karelin brought the organization into collaboration with animators, choreographers, and composers from around the world, receiving the Mehrle Service Award in 2021. His work was driven by his belief that music can bring people together and tear past traditional constraints of genre. Through his work in artistic planning, the orchestra diversified its repertoire, championing music by underrepresented composers. Karelin also served as a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival.

As a composer, Karelin explores his identity as a child of the Ukrainian-Jewish diaspora. He was a composer fellow at the LA Philharmonic from 2016-2018 and in 2019, he received the ASCAP Morton Gould Award. He is currently working on a multi-movement oratorio for the Thornton Edge ensemble and launching a Ukrainian Arts Festival.

Karelin was born in Haifa, Israel and moved to Los Angeles in 2005. In his spare time, he roasts coffee beans, hikes, and reads up on the latest linguistics research.