Michael Adelson is currently a cover conductor for the New York Philharmonic and Conductor of the Auros Group for New Music in Boston. He made his first appearance with a major American orchestra in 1992, conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonics. This was followed by engagements with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra Bothnia, and the Uppsala Chamber Orchestra. In Europe he has also conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra, and the orchestras of Tampere, Turku, Stavanger, Kokkola, Joensuu, Pori, Sundsvall, Gavle and Norrkoping.

Adelson is deeply committed to music of our time. In addition to his position as conductor of the Auros Group for New Music, he has conducted Locrian Chamber players and the Cygnus Ensemble in New York, has led world premieres at the Ultima Contemporary Music Festival in Oslo, and has introduced new American works to Scandinavia, Estonia and England, including a recording for Swedish Radio of Charles Jones' Third Symphony.

He is frequent guest conductor of the Fromm Players at Harvard and is a founding member of the Present Eye, a society dedicated to experimental music and art. Michael Adelson studied at the New England Conservatory, the Mannes College of Music, and with Norma Panula at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.