Abel Pereira

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" while leading a horn section with "particularly ebullient and solid playing (...) with almost military precision."

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."

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

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.

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.

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.

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. In 2001 he recorded Mozart's second horn concerto for BBC Television's Mozart for Children.

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.

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

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. Since 2014, he has been Principal Horn of Washington's National Symphony Orchestra. Pereira won several awards and prizes, including the 1998 European Master Prize.