Abel Pereira (musician)

Last updated
Abel Pereira
Born1978 (age 44–45)
Porto
NationalityPortuguese
Occupations
  • Horn player
  • Conductor
Awards
  • European Master Prize
  • Leeuwarden International Horn Competition
  • Concertino Praha Competition
  • Premio de Jovens Musicos, RDP Antena 2
Website www.abelpereira.com

Abel Pereira (born 1978) is a Portuguese horn player. He played as soloist and principal horn in major European orchestras, such as Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Berlin Philharmonic and London Philharmonic Orchestra. [1] [2] Since 2014, he has been Principal Horn of Washington's National Symphony Orchestra. [3] Pereira won several awards and prizes, including the 1998 European Master Prize. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Pereira was born into a family of fishermen in Porto. [5] When he was 10, he started playing French horn at the STCP wind band school of music. He had his first solo performance, Mozart's third horn concerto, at the age of 11. [6] [4]

After attending ARTAVE Professional High School of Music he went to study with Bohdan Sebestik at ESMAE, where he graduated in 1999. He continued his studies in Germany with Marie-Luise Neunecker before he received his master in music industry marketing in 2008 and his PhD in coaching/performance in 2012, both degrees at the University of Porto. During his training he played with the Portuguese Youth Orchestra, Ibero-American Youth Orchestra, Mediterranean Youth Orchestra, European Union Youth Orchestra, and attended master classes with Radovan Vlatkoviæ, Jeffrey Bryant, Stefan Dohr, Dale Clevenger and Hermann Baumann. [7]

Career as horn player

Pereira was the guest soloist at the 36th International Horn Symposium in Valencia, Spain, in 2004. In 2007, he was the artistic director of the First National Horn Congress in Porto. Between 2010 and 2012, he was the guest principal horn in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. [1]

He was a Featured Artist at the 45th International Horn Symposium in Memphis, Tennessee, in 2013, where he premiered as a soloist the horn concerto that the composer Luís Tinoco dedicated to him. [8] [9] [10]

Pereira had his first concert with the Berlin Philharmonic in September 2013 as guest principal horn. He also acted as guest principal horn with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. [2] [11]

Washington's National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) hired Pereira as principal horn in 2014, during the tenure of Christoph Eschenbach. [3]

One of the high points of Pereira's years in the NSO was the spring 2015 performance of Mahler's 9th Symphony, in which he produced "exquisite and always accurate solos" [12] while leading a horn section with "particularly ebullient and solid playing (...) with almost military precision." [13]

Pereira also became a member of Kennedy Center Chamber Players, drawn from the NSO membership, with whom he first performed at their first concert of the 2015 season. His performance was praised as being "in top form (...) with a consistently elegiac tone, unwavering breath support and power when needed." [14]

Describing his role in the NSO, Anne Midgette wrote: "Pereira, the principal horn player, has been a motivating force; other players are encouraged simply that the orchestra was able to win someone of his caliber. (...) Pereira would make a good poster boy for a new NSO, one representing the very best of musical quality." [15]

He performed more than 50 solo concerts with many internationally renowned orchestras, and played and taught at international music festivals such as Festival de Música do Estoril, Festival de Música de Sintra, Festival de Música da Póvoa de Varzim, CCB Summer Fest, Miami Summer Music Festival, HALCYON New Hampshire, Stellenbosch Chamber Music Festival, Festival de Artes de Maputo, Festival de Musique de Besançon, Ossiacher Festspiel Austria, Salzburger Festspiel, BBC Proms, Diaghilev Festival Perm, Athens Music Fest, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Berliner Festspiel, National Orchestra Institute, National Youth Orchestra, and the Brazilian Horn Association. [7] [16]

He has been working with famous conductors and soloists including Carlo Maria Giulini, Mstislav Rostropovich, Bernard Haitink, Sir Colin Davis, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Claudio Abbado, Vladimir Jurowski, Sir Simon Rattle, Emanuel Ax, Radu Lupu, Martha Argerich, Renée Fleming, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Lang Lang. He was the principal horn of the Porto Symphony Orchestra, Casa da Música, for 14 years. Pereira has been hailed as "one of the most renowned Portuguese interpreters of all time". [17] [1] [16]

He plays an Alexander 103 horn with a V. Bach 3 mouthpiece. [11]

Other musical and educational work

Pereira was a professor at the Academia Nacional Superior de Orquestra (ANSO) at the University of Lisbon and at Escola Superior de Música e Artes do Espetáculo (ESMAE) at the Polytechnic Institute of Porto. [16]

He studied choral conducting with Gunter Argleb and orchestra conducting with Alvaro Salazar at Porto University. Later he attended masterclasses with Professor Colin Matters at the Royal Academy of Music in London and with Maestro Jorma Panula. Pereira was also on the jury for the European Union Youth Orchestra for 10 years and the brass coach for the Ossiach Youth Orchestra in Austria. [7]

His conducting experience includes the Noya Symphony Orchestra in Spain, Orchestra Sinfonia di Rimini in Italy, Vilnius Chamber Orchestra in Lithuania, Zadar Symphony in Croatia and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra in Washington, DC. [7]

Pereira was a founding member of the ARZTIZ Woodwind Quintet, Porto Brass Quintet and Music Director of the Portuguese Horn Ensemble. [7] He is the music director of Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. [18]

He has held master classes in Portugal, Spain, Macao, India, Cape Verde, Brazil, Venezuela, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, The United Kingdom, South Africa, and the United States. [17] In 2001 he recorded Mozart's second horn concerto for BBC Television's Mozart for Children. [7]

Awards and recognition

Pereira won the 1998 European Master Prize, which was awarded to him by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Bernard Haitink and Lutz Kohler. [4] [1] He also won the Prémio Jovens Músicos - RDP Antena 2, in 1997. [19]

Pereira was awarded at the Leeuwarden International Horn Competition (the Netherlands), Internationaler Instrumentalwettbewerb Markneukirchen (Germany), Concertino Praga (Czech Republic), National Wind Competition (Portugal), Conservatory Souza Lima (Brazil), and Arouca's City Hall (Portugal). [20] [7]

Discography

Pereira's solo discography includes: [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

John Harris Harbison is an American composer, known for his symphonies, operas, and large choral works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radovan Vlatković</span> Croatian-born horn player (born 1962)

Radovan Vlatković is a Croatian-born horn player. He was the former principal horn of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. He left that post in 1990 to devote himself to a solo career and has recorded many of the major works for horn. He is now professor of horn at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid. Vlatković also participates as a senior artist at the Marlboro Music Festival, and has performed in chamber music and solo recital for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

António Chagas Rosa is a Portuguese composer of contemporary classical music, considered one of the leading figures of contemporary musical writing of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camargo Guarnieri</span> Brazilian composer

Mozart Camargo Guarnieri was a Brazilian composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gianandrea Noseda</span> Italian conductor (born 1964)

Gianandrea Noseda is an Italian conductor. He is currently the music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C.; general music director (Generalmusikdirektor) of Zurich Opera; principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra; and the music director of the Tsinandali Festival in Tsinandali, Georgia.

Paul Goodwin is an English conductor and former oboist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christoph Koncz</span> Austrian-Hungarian classical musician (born 1987)

Christoph Koncz is an Austrian-Hungarian conductor, performing internationally with orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal and Hong Kong Philharmonic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ransom Wilson</span> American flutist and conductor (born 1951)

Ransom Wilson is an American flutist, conductor, and educator.

Dale Clevenger was an American musician who was the Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1966 until his retirement in June, 2013. Before joining the CSO, he was a member of Leopold Stokowski's American Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony of the Air directed by Alfred Wallenstein. He was also principal horn of the Kansas City Philharmonic. Prior to his death, he taught horn at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Antônio Rezende de Almeida Prado</span> Brazilian composer and pianist (1943–2010)

José Antônio Rezende de Almeida Prado or Almeida Prado was an important Brazilian composer of classical music and a pianist. On Almeida Prado's death, his personal friend, conductor João Carlos Martins stated that Prado had possibly been the most important Brazilian composer ever.

Andrew Shulman is an English virtuoso cellist, conductor and composer. He is currently the principal cellist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and maintains his cello studio at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles, California.

Martin Owen is a British classical horn player. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music. He was principal horn of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) 1998–2008. In 2008, he was appointed principal horn of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baldur Brönnimann</span> Swiss conductor

Baldur Brönnimann is a Swiss conductor.

William VerMeulen is an American horn player and horn professor. He has been Principal Horn of the Houston Symphony Orchestra since 1990. He is also Professor of Horn at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas. In addition, he is Brass Artist-in-Residence at the Glenn Gould School of Music in Toronto and Visiting Professor of Horn at the Eastman School of Music. Before joining the HSO, he was a member of the Columbus Symphony, Honolulu Symphony, and Kansas City Philharmonic. In addition, he maintains an active solo and chamber music career with appearances at Music@Menlo and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Fedorova</span> Musical artist

Anna Borysivna Fedorova is a Ukrainian concert pianist. Fedorova performs as soloist, chamber musician and with symphony orchestras in the major concert halls of the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy, UK, Ukraine, Poland, the US, Mexico, Argentina, and parts of Asia. Fedorova is a David Young Piano Prize Holder supported by a Soiree d'Or Award and Keyboard Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conrad Tao</span> American composer and pianist

Conrad Yiwen Tao is an American composer and pianist and former violinist. Tao's piano and violin performances since childhood brought him early recognition at music festivals and competitions. At age 13, he was featured on the PBS TV series From the Top – Live from Carnegie Hall as violinist, pianist and composer. He won eight consecutive ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. Among his compositions have been commissions by the New York Philharmonic, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony and Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Zirbel</span>

John Zirbel is an American-born French horn player and teacher. He was the principal horn of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (1978/1979–2019) and one of the principal horns at the Aspen Music Festival and School orchestra, and also spent a season as principal horn at the San Francisco Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He has also performed as a soloist in concertos and chamber works, including giving the premieres of Jacques Hétu's Sérénade Héroique (2001) and Denis Gougeon's Cor et Âme (2015). He taught at McGill University and the Aspen Music Festival and School. His awards include a prize at the Grand Concours international de Cor in Liège (1981) and the Punto Award of the International Horn Society (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruslan Apostolov</span>

Ruslan Apostolov is a concert violinist who currently serves as Director and Professor of the Koart Academy of Music in Columbus, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberto Minczuk</span> Brazilian conductor

Roberto Minczuk is a Brazilian conductor, maestro of the São Paulo Municipal Symphony Orchestra, music director of the New Mexico Philarmonic laureate of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, artistic director of the Campos do Jordão Winter Festival, and conductor emeritus of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.

Vladimir Milošević is a Serbian concert pianist. Milošević's honors include winning numerous international competitions, such as the 2013 Rising Artist Concerto Presentation by the New York Concert Artists & Associates, Concerti in Villa, Nikolai Rubinstein, Rencontre internationale de piano au Mée-sur-Seine, and Torneo internazionale di musica in Marseille.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Mozart e Strauss em concerto da OCM na Festa da Flor" (in Portuguese). Funchal Noticias. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Abel Pereira na Orquestra de Washington" (in Portuguese). Da Capo. Retrieved 22 November 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. 1 2 Charles T. Downey (9 September 2016). "Three new musicians to join NSO this season". Washington Classical Review. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Juliana Moreira (10 February 2014). "Abel Pereira, um trompista portugu?s na Orquestra Filarmónica de Berlim" (in Portuguese). P3. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "Bio". Abel Pereira. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "NSO's Adriana Horne and Abel Pereira". WETA. May 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "International Center for Music Guest Artist Series: Abel Pereira". 1900 Building. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "2013 Symposium Venue and Dates". International Horn Society. 2013. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Symposiums". International Horn Society. 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Speaker Bios" (PDF). League of American Orchestras. 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Abel Pereira". National Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  12. ↑ David Sckolnik (31 March 2015). "Mahler at the Kennedy Center and a Journey thru the Metropolitan Museum of Art". The Gazette. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  13. ↑ Charles T. Downey (20 March 2015). "Lebe[wohl], Edward Cabarga: NSO's Mahler Tribute". Ionarts. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  14. ↑ Charles T. Downey (19 October 2015). "Engaging new voice with Kennedy Center Chamber Players". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Anne Midgette (9 October 2015). "The National Symphony Orchestra's forte for falling flat". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 "Orquestra Jovem do Estado recebe o trompista portugu?s Abel Pereira" (in Portuguese). Concertino. 7 August 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  17. 1 2 "Abel Pereira apresenta-se a solo com a Orquestra Sinfónica Metropolitana no Concerto de Encerramento dos Dias da Música 2014" (in Portuguese). Xpressing Music. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  18. ↑ "Abel Pereira, Music Director". Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  19. ↑ "Lista dos vencedores das 25 ediç?es do Prémio Jovens Músicos" (in Portuguese). Sapo. 30 September 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  20. 1 2 "Artist Biography: Abel Pereira". Halcyon Music Festival. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  21. ↑ "Recordings". Abel Pereira. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.