Between 1970 and 1988, Adorján’s activities included the position of principal flutist of important symphony orchestras: the Royal Stockholm Opera, the Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne, the Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden, and from 1974 to 1987 the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich. In 1987 he was appointed professor at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, and from 1996 to 2012, he taught at the Musikhochschule in Munich. Many of his pupils have gone on to successful careers as flutists, teachers, and conductors. 

Adorján is a welcome guest at important music festivals and a sought-after member of juries for international flute competitions. He is active in widening the flute literature by playing many works from a variety of stylistic periods. He performs pieces he has (re)discovered by composers including Benda, Bloch, Danzi, Devienne, Doppler, Doráti, Gieseking, Hummel, Lebrun, Mendelssohn, Mercadante, Moscheles, Reger, Reinecke, Roman, Silcher, Spohr, Zielche, and Zinck. He also plays compositions by contemporary composers that were inspired by and written for him, among them Dieter Acker, Georges Barboteu, Gunnar Berg, Edison Denisov, Paul Engel, Jindrich Feld, Ferenc Farkas, Lars Graugård, Wilfried Hiller, Vagn Holmboe, Jan Koetsier, Noël Lee, Miklós Maros, Krzysztof Meyer, Alfred Schnittke, Sven Erik Werner, and Jörg Widmann. An active music editor, he has edited many works for Bärenreiter, Billaudot, Breitkopf, Henle, Musica Rara, Schott, Sikorski, and Edition Svitzer.

Adorján is the co-editor of the 900-page encyclopedia, Lexikon der Flöte (Lexicon of the Flute), published in 2009. He has released more than 100 records and CDs and received the 1988 Prize of the Deutsche Schallplattenkritik (German Recording Critics). His recordings include the complete flute concertos of Benda, Danzi, Devienne and C.P.E. Bach as well as Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto (Popp transcription) and duo recordings with Jean-Pierre Rampal. His latest recordings, released by the French label Premiers Horizons, include Capriccio Danois (first recordings of Danish music for flute and piano from the beginning of the 20th century) and six concertos of Ludwig August Lebrun coupled with Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D (all Ebers transcriptions) with the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris conducted by Philippe Bernold. He also has performed and recorded with his musical family, including his wife Marianne Henkel (flute), and sons Dávid (cello) and Gabriel (violin).

Adorján recently recieved the NFA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.