Pianist Adam Tendler focuses on the music of contemporary composers, often advocating for progressive political causes. He has specialized in the music of John Cage, of which he is recognized as a major interpreter. At 23, all but unknown, he embarked on a 50-state piano recital tour he called America 88x50. Tendler wrote about his experiences in a memoir, 88x50, which was also a coming-out narrative, and became a Lambda Literary Award nominee. He has played music from Bach to the present day, often focusing on that of John Cage, and he has collaborated with the John Cage Trust and Cage's publisher Edition Peters in presenting the composer's music. In 2021, he appeared on an album of Liszt's Harmonies poétiques et religieuses with pianist Jenny Lin.