Adrian Hoffman grew up just outside Boston. He studied cello, then trombone, composition, and opera direction at the New England Conservatory of Music, then freelanced with the Boston Pops Orchestra (Arthur Fiedler), the Boston Ballet Co., the Boston Opera Co., and the Boston Philharmonia. He moved to Canada in 1969 to join the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra as a trombonist, then also served the ASO as a composer, arranger, librarian, personnel supervisor, and occasional conductor. He left the orchestra to join CBC Radio in 1978 becoming executive producer of Radio Music & Arts. He went on to produce and host both All the Best and Musically Yours and produced and guest hosted for numerous network CBC radio programs. In 1994, he became a part-time member of the Music Faculty at Dalhousie University (now the Fountain School of Performing Arts); he retired from teaching in 2016.

Adrian has also been involved in the Nova Scotia music community as a founding member of inNOVAtions in MUSIC and Debut Atlantic. He was an appointed member of the Canada Council Touring Office Advisory Board and has acted as president of the National Radio Producer's Association. He also served as a Scholarship Selection Committee member, board member, and chair of the Nova Scotia Talent Trust (NSTT).

Adrian continues to volunteer for the NSTT as past chair, Debut Atlantic as a member of the Artistic Selection Committee, and Symphony Nova Scotia (SNS) as the chair of the Program Advisory Committee. From 2014 to 2020, he was a member of the Music Director Search Committee for SNS.