A musician who has musical roots in Midland will be returning Sunday to perform as a violin soloist with the Midland Community Orchestra (MCO). John Littlejohn, who also goes by ADIDAM, is a professional violinist, composer, arranger and producer who lives in Vancouver, B.C. He began playing the violin at age 10 and moved from Lansing to Midland in the middle of sixth grade. He credits the encouragement he received from the Midland community with his decision to pursue a musical career.

"Ann Schoelles was my orchestra teacher in sixth grade, and she let me practice my violin at lunchtime," he said. "She was clever; she'd give me little hints to help me improve. She knew I was a wild child, and she'd gently suggest things. Formal lessons with her started in 11th grade."

Littlejohn, 29, said he never had to buy a violin during his years in Midland schools. He played in the MCO for four years, studied at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and graduated from Midland High School. His friend Roland Wallace introduced him to a gospel violinist. He was hooked. more...
- Written by Kris Winterton.

After a week of school performances in Prince Rupert and community concerts on the Queen Charlotte Islands, the Vancouver-based string quartet Infinitus will play at the Lester Centre tonight at 8 p.m. Formed in September 2002, the quartet has won prizes, awards, performed outreach concerts and participated in various music festivals. Comprised of John H. Littlejohn (violin), Anthony Cheung (viola), Alexander Cheung (cello) and Joshua Belvedere (viola) - who is sitting in for Ruth Huang -, Infinitus has been pegged for versatility and the ability to play any type of music effortlessly.

Littlejohn hails from Michigan and is busy as a teacher, composer and performing musician. In the hip-hop world he is known as "Adidam". more...
- Written by Monica Lamb-Yorski.

"The sounds of classical, jazz, Latin and hip-hop will fill the Lester Center of the Arts in November when the Infinitus String Quartet comes to town. Formed in 2002, they regularly perform outreach concerts and they also perform with the Sonic Boom Festival and Vancouver Chamber Players. The group is made up of John H. Littlejohn from Lansing/Midland, Michigan on violin, Ruth Huang, 11/10/2007 10:54 AMThe Northern View - Your Best source for Local Community News delivered in print or online originally from Taiwan, who started as a pianist and then moved to violin, Anthony Cheung on viola and Alexander Cheung on cello. On this tour, Toronto musician Joshua Belvedere will be substituting for Ruth on violin.

All of them were naturally drawn to music at an early age, but it was not until later in life that they decided to make it their career. 'Twin brothers Anthony and Alex Cheung have two older siblings who played instruments, so their initial interest was to emulate them. They began playing at the age of nine (Anthony started on violin and switched to viola when he was 13). Josh was taken to a classical concert at the age of five. After seeing a violin, he pointed to it and said to his mother, ‘I want to play that.’ John started learning to play the violin when he was ten. From a very young age, he would hum and sing all day. When he finally had the chance to begin an instrument, he chose the violin and began learning in a public-school program,' said Littlejohn. 'Usually what gets us into music is different then what keeps us there.' more...
- Written by Gina Clark.

Headline - "Infinitus will have grandma hip-hopping and kids tuned into classics."

This is late, but they’re first rate.

And now they’re here in Vernon and will be playing tonight in a benefit concert to support Vernon’s budding music students at the Vernon Community Music School.

Vancouver’s Infinitus Quartet (www.infinitusquartet.com) have even played for the Dalai Lama.
With a couple of violins, a viola and a cello, Infinitus blends and twists classical music with bebop, jazz, hip hop and Latin.

The Infinitus Quartet have been playing throughout the Okanagan for the past few weeks, and is wrapping up its tour in Vernon.

The quartet’s show is loaded with audience participation, talking back and forth, all the while maintaining the highest quality of music.

And it doesn’t matter how old you are, or how young. They play for audiences from nine months old to 99 years young – to rappers and hipsters in hoodies and jeans, and people with hip replacements in nursing homes.

“You can be young, and play jazz, classical, or hip hop on string instruments and you don’t have to fit a certain mold,” said violinist John “Adidam” Littlejohn, whose nickname is an acronym for All Day I Dream About Music.more...

"John Littlejohn fits right into the Soulful Symphony.

This ensemble of African-American instrumentalists and vocalists, founded in 2000 by conductor/composer/arranger Darin Atwater, seeks to broaden traditional boundaries of an orchestra and classical music. Littlejohn, who has played in the violin section from the beginning, couldn't be much more boundary-free himself.

Under the name Adidam, which stands for "All Day I Dream About Music," he recently produced a self-titled CD, featuring his own songs, several with tightly rhymed lyrics celebrating his religious faith. Littlejohn arranged and mixed the album, as well as performed the vocals and all of the string parts. His distinctive brand of hip-hop reflects influences of classical, gospel, jazz, Latin and even Asian music." more...
- Written by Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun's music critic.

"I always had a lot of music in me, but wasn't raised in a community where classical music or music lessons were a part of my world," said violinist John Littlejohn.

In junior high school, he and a friend wanted to start a music group, but didn't know the difference between band and orchestra. They decided they would each join one, to get some experience, and then move forward with their own group.

"In an inner city school, on the first day of orchestra, all the kids ran for the basses, because they knew what they were. After the scramble, there...more...
- Written by Kyla Kupferstein, Amsterdam News reporter.

"Violinist John Littlejohn (MM '02, GPD '04) has two interesting new career paths...

He is known in the hip-hop world as 'ADIDAM' and has just released his debut CD, 'All Day I Dream About Music.' On the album, ADIDAM combines hip-hop, classical, dance, bossa-nova, and other musical forms to create a unique sound. Guest appearances on the disk include Delandria Mills (MM '02), Reuel, and the Classical Refugees. Visit www.adidammusic.com.

He also recently joined a professional string octet, The Young Eight, a group of African-American string players from the most distinguished music schools and conservatories. It was founded in 2002 at the North Carolina School of the Arts and is now recognized across the country for exposing various communities to the arts through classical music and for its dedication to children. See www.TheYoungEight.com.

On a more traditional career path, in September, he won the concert master position with the Newark Symphony Orchestra in Newark, Delaware."

Adidam presented an incredible concert in honor of Black History Month for the Austin Chamber Music Center on Thursday, February 7, 2008. The performance took place at Austin's own Huston-Tillotson University in front of hundreds of eager audience members. John Littlejohn, violin and SaulPaul, dj/emcee were electric in their performance and interaction with the audience. The audience was totally engaged and gave a thunderous standing ovation at the close of the performance. I, for one, was thrilled to have been witness to this concert and would recommend this group to everyone that has the opportunity to hear and see them.
- Written by Joel D. Bright, Assistant Director for Education, ACMC

"ADIDAM stands for All Day I Dream About Music and this is the moniker used by violinist/producer/performer John H. Littlejohn to bring his musical vision to life. With a background as a classically-trained musician and a full understanding of the nuances of modern hip hop and R&B music, ADIDAM has the potential to create some ground breaking music – a promise that is met on the new album All Day I Dream About Music.
Littlejohn seamlessly blends his classical violin with modern programming and instrumentation throughout the album and the combination works every time. The hybrid sound ADIDAM unleashes on this album is definitely a breath of fresh air for local music. After listening to this album I can say that is truly a good thing that Littlejohn dreams about music all day…"
- Reviewed by Greg Yost, Music Monthly Magazine.

"Your (Adidam’s) lyrics are brash and full of sultry attitude that seduce the listener. The music has a strong Jazz influence with a strong Pop/R&B foundation. The title is a perfect choice. Excellent song. Excellent fusion of influences. Your vocals soar on this song! The composition is extremely original and magnificently arranged and played. The structure shows a bit of repetition but works extremely well with this format. The production quality is first rate! The diversity and originality of this song make it a bit of a marketing gamble, but one I think a buyer will be more than happy to take."
- Critiqued by a VH1 entertainment journalist.

"Many have attempted to blend classical and hip-hop. Dare we say that few can do it with the authenticity of ADIDAM.

Born John Littlejohn, ADIDAM (which stands for All Day I Dream About Music), has deep roots in classical performance. As concertmaster of the Newark Symphony and member of the Baltimore Opera Orchestra and also Darin Atwater ’s Soulful Symphony (see interview with Darin Atwater), it comes as no surprise that ADIDAM's new project is steeped in musical depth.

The violinist stylistically blends his love for hip-hop to produce a fifteen-track effort that is sparking a great deal of interest, and justifiably so.

ADIDAM handles the bulk of the vocals on this project, which range from rhyming to heartfelt singing. But the strength of the album lies in its musical compositions. His classical mastery shines on tracks like "The Waters of March", "This is For My People" and an 87-second interlude that will make you want to visit your nearest concert hall.

Musical dexterity is the order of the day on cuts such as "Falling" and "Hey Girl", where he relies on balladry while sharing vocal responsibilities with the capable Delandria . "Surrender" is a true gem as ADIDAM offers a simple, elegant and classical interpretation of the hymn 'I Surrender All'.

ADIDAM's ability to creatively swing from one musical genre to another shows that he does more than simply dream about music. Handling production, performance and also writing nearly every track on this project, he shows that music is a way of life."
- Reviewed by Gerard Bonner, entertainment journalist, Gospelflava.com.