Adam appears on Show 428.

Adam Mandela Walden (cello), 26, was born in Los Angeles, California and began studying the cello at age 6. Diagnosed with moderate/severe autism and epilepsy at age 3, music has long been a source connection and communication for Adam. Currently, Adam is attending Berklee College of Music/Boston Conservatory at Berklee on a full academic scholarship. Adam studied classical cello at The Colburn School for The Performing Arts with Francesca Bori and graduated from Grand Arts/ Ramon C. Contines High School of Visual and Performing Arts. Adam performed with Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA). He was featured in HBO’s documentary “Autism The Musical” and “Autism: The Sequel”. Adam is the official ambassador for Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles’ Music Therapy program. Most recently, Adam is composing a spoken word/cello concerto for youth orchestras with Berklee College of Music professor Eugene Freisen. The concerto is based on New York Times Best Seller Naoki Higashida’s The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism.