Adams, John Coolidge (1947-...), is a popular American composer and orchestra conductor. Adams began his career composing in the Minimalist style, which emphasizes repeated rhythms and short melodic passages. He later turned to a more Romantic style. By the 1980's, Adams's music had become perhaps the most frequently performed of any living American composer. Adams won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for music for On the Transmigration of Souls, a composition for orchestra and two choruses.