Adam covers a wide range of sounds and genres - from piccolo to contrabass clarinet, from screaming, bluesy tenor sax to meditative sounds of shakuhachi, death metal to swing, musician to sculptor. Since graduating from VCA in 1992, Adam has steadily worked in Melbourne with influential groups such as bucketrider (thrash/punk/free jazz), The Pearly Shells (big band swing), BOLT Ensemble (new music), Compared to What (funk/acid jazz), Bennetts Lane Big Band (contemporary big band), Nick Tsiavos Ensemble and the Australian Art Orchestra, as well as the likes of Spiderbait, Kutcha Edwards, The Mavis's, You Am I, Gotye, Greg and Murray of the Wiggles, and somehow ended up on a Katie Noonan CD without even knowing it!

Born in Chelsea, Melbourne in September 1970 Adam was never really given a chance - his father Paul used to place Adam on top of the piano while playing, and would also play the saxophone with Adam staring down the bell. Music was always a large part of family life, with Countdown being as important viewing as was The Wonderful World of Disney. Fond musical memories include Elvis Presley, Ornette Coleman (Dancing in your head), Jim Kweskin and his Jug Band (Greatest Hits), West Side Story, Bryan Ferry (Let's stick together), John Coltrane (A Love Supreme), Elton John (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road) and the Beatles (Sgt Peppers) - just to name a few.

Adam started playing clarinet (after trying his father, Paul's soprano sax) in 1979, aged 9 in Ballarat (100km from Melbourne). From 1983 Adam swapped to saxophone and began working in a big band, Sebaclear Stage Band (led by Ted Lewis), as well as occasionally being taken by his father to gigs. Around 1987-1991 Adam arranged and composed for two groups that grew out of highschool friendships - The First Deadly Serious Modern Jazz Quartet (actually a six-piece!) and Crunchy Fungus (a trio). There are extant recordings of these groups.

In 1989 Adam completed a TOP Music Course (Year 12 Level) at the School of Mines in Ballarat, majoring on flute with teacher Helen Fairhall. This course gave a solid grounding in classical musical theory and history, before Adam moved to Melbourne in 1990 to begin the Improvisation Degree at the Victorian College of the Arts. Despite now living in Melbourne Adam began to establish himself in the Ballarat pub scene (maybe more for his penchant for drinking milk) working in bands such as The Valiants (with Paul Simmons), The Boxing Tostados (featuring Matt Thomas from the Mavis's), The Fat Thing, The Dead Salesman and anyone else who would let him play. Meanwhile Adam was also starting to work more in Melbourne.

Adam has performed with a range of international artists such as: Ernest Ranglin, Nigel Kennedy, Peter Brotzmann, Ned Rothenberg, Tony Overwater, Ursel Schlicht, John Hollenbeck, Jacek Kochan, Alessandra Garosi, Laia Genc, Odean Pope & Denis Colin.

Adam's leads several ensembles including Origami, Collider (sextet co-led with Kynan Robinson) and La Societe des Antipodes (French/Australian quartet co-led with Denis Colin). Several other ensembles are always on the back burner such as the Adam Simmons Quartet, Adam Simmons Toy Band, Adam Simmons Creative Music Ensemble and New Blood.

As a collaborator Adam has worked with dozens of musicians including: Erik Griswold, Tony Gould, Sandy Evans, Roger Frampton, John Pochee, Vanessa Tonlinson, Noriko Tadano, Wang Zheng Ting, David Jones, Ted Vining, Gela Reh, Brian O'Dwyer, Dave Brown, David Chesworth, Tim O'Dwyer, Kris Wanders, Damo Suzuki, Niko Schauble, CW Stoneking, Puglsey Buzzard, Bennetts Lane Big Band, John Wiese, Robbie Avenaim, Sean Baxter, John McAll, Tania Bosak, Howard Cairns, Peter Knight, Michel Benebig and many more.

As a solo performer, Adam has released two CDs (1999 & 2009) and toured Poland, Germany, USA and Australia. At first it was a matter of convenience to perform solo but since the release of "Etudes" in 1999, it has been a vital part of Adam's creative output.

In addition, since 2009 Adam has been involved in visual arts, creating sculptural music box assemblages, represented by Catherine Asquith Gallery in Melbourne, with pieces purchased by the Museum Narodowe in Szczecin, Poland, as well as a featured finalist in several art awards, including the 2011 Hutchins Art Prize(Hobart), and received a High Commendation for the 2011 Banyule Award for Works on Paper.

Other career highlights include: Commission for Speak Percussion and Michael Kieran Harvey (2012 - music boxes and toy piano), touring with La Societe des Antipodes (Australia 2011, France 2012), premiere of concerto by Orio Odori with Philharmonic Orchestra of Loro Ciuffenna (Italy 2012), composition of major suite for Collider based on Dr Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" ((2011), Special Award from Freedman Foundation (2004), Music Omi Artist Residency (USA, Fellowship 2001, Guest Curator 2007), Green Room Awards for Musical Direction (2003 & 2004), Commission for Eureka 150 funded by Department of Premier & Cabinet (2004), Adam Simmons Retrospective, featuring 40 different acts over three week (2006)