Adrienne Nims’s passionate energy and dazzling musicianship as a solo artist and with her talented bands create an inspiring and unforgettable entertainment experience.  Her dynamic, sensual voice on the saxophones, flutes and many more global indigenous instruments express not only a vast array of musical culture and style but the magic and mystery of life.  Adrienne performs contemporary, Latin and classic jazz infused with irresistible grooves as well as elegant, ethereal melodies which have both moved audiences throughout San Diego and well beyond.  Her expressive intensity and love of music will linger with you long after the last note.  She has performed openings for such greats as Spyro Gyra, Joe Cocker, Al DiMeola, Fourplay, Steppenwolf, Najee and Boz Scaggs, to name a few.

 Adrienne was born in Colorado, raised in New England, started playing piano at the age of five, and quickly moved on to flute and then saxophone upon hearing her musician grandfather blow his horn.  Her most intensive musical studies began with professors from the University of Massachusetts, Michigan U., New England Conservatory and Boston Symphony Orchestra, while performing in New England Conservatory ensembles as a teenager.  She continued her studies at Ithaca College in New York where she was featured as a guest artist in numerous Cornell University faculty concerts focusing primarily on jazz, electronic and international music.

            In 1994 she represented women in the musical arts in Ithaca.  Adrienne lived and performed in the Northeast performing jazz, R&B, pop-rock, Latin, gamelan and classical music.  Her orchestral performances include playing under world acclaimed composer-conductors such as David Amram, Vaclav Nelybel, and collaborating and performing with David Borden, one of the founding fathers of the electronic music scene.  

             Theatrically, Adrienne was a member and producer of the Tin Can Fantasy Factory troupe in which she acted and musically narrated global children’s fables with her original compositions.  Her theatrical credits also include being featured in a unique version of a Street Car Named Desire in which she played a lone New Orleans street musician narrating the action with the haunting tone of her original tenor sax work. Her theatrical work on both coasts includes over two dozen shows and her most recent stage work in San Diego was as a feature musical cast member in Boomers in 2004.  She also appears in Damian Chapas film “The Woman”.

            In 1995 Adrienne joined the west coast music scene.  Shortly afterward, she began performing and touring with The Larry Mitchell Band on saxes and flutes going on to record on the CD releases of "Insatiable" and remix of "Temptation".  Since then she has also been recorded on “Spirit Wind”,  “Survivor”, “Cosmic Sea”, “Heart Beat Away”, Ahria”, “Prayer of the People”, Groovidi, Fit Rythms "Fire", and "Now and Zen".

 Beyond teaching music Adrienne’s many years of eurhythmic training in music school inspired her evolution as a dancer, choreographer and dance teacher.  In addition to performing she continues to teach music and several unique dance classes in and beyond San Diego and has additionally lectured and performed in several academic institutions.

Adrienne’s passion for performance continues with her leading the Adrienne Nims Band and Spirit Wind.  She also performs with David Maldonado, Le Jazz Hot, Calima, Semisi and Fula Bula, Battista, Raggle Taggle & Wah.

 Her band Spirit Wind, featuring Adrienne on soprano, alto, tenor saxes, traditional flutes as well as Native American, Indian, African and Asian flutes and percussion, playing contemporary jazz and global music at the world famous San Diego Zoo during the summer is a musical feast.  Her extraordinary versatility ranging from classical, jazz, Latin, funky rhythm and blues to Celtic and middle eastern showcase her love and interest in the many kinds of music which link us together!  Adrienne Nims draws musical inspiration from every curve of the globe as well as the immense and infinite music of nature and from the individual and collective talent, spirit, and emotion of the musicians with whom she plays.