Trained as a conductor, composer, and cellist, Adelson studied at the New England Conservatory, Mannes College The New School for Music, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Adelson's first major conducting appearance was in 1992, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he has since assisted many conductors including Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Equally at home in the opera house, Adelson has led Scandinavian productions of Puccini's Turandot and La Bohème, Mozart's Der Schauspieldirektor, and, in Stockholm, the world premiere of Qu Xiao-Song's Oedipus.
Adelson, an active composer himself, is a founding member of the Present Eye, an organization dedicated to experimental music and art.
Adelson was also Music Director of Gemini Youth Orchestras from 2003 to 2005, where he led performances at Carnegie Hall.