ABBA

Trumpeter who grew up in Florida where his father rolled cigars for a living, as well as holding two other jobs. Alfredo Sanchez was determined his son would not have to work three jobs, and encouraged him to take up music, specifically the trumpet. Unfortunately, he would not live to see his son’s success. Alfredo passed away before Adel’s twelfth birthday. In the tradition of mourning, Adel’s mother didn’t let him practice trumpet in the house. His music teacher convinced her otherwise, insisting that his father would have wanted him to.

He must have practiced very diligently, because he enrolled at Juilliard on a full scholarship. His teachers included James Chambers, Adolf Herseth, Arnold Jacobs, Madame Rene Longee, and William Vacchiano.

He spent three years with the Kansas City Philharmonic and then joined the National Symphony Orchestra in 1969. Other artists and groups with whom he has worked include the American Symphony, Leonard Bernstein, Antal Dorati, Rafael Drurian, Christopher Hogwood, Richard Kaplan, Lorin Maazel, Sir Neville Marriner, Howard Mitchell, Vittorio Negri, the New York Philharmonic, the Philharmonia Virtuosi of New York, Mstislav Rostropovich, Alexander Schneider, Gerard Schwarz, Norman Scribner, William Steinberg, Leopold Stokowski, and Michael Tilson Thomas.

In 1970, he became an instructor at The Catholic University of America, where he taught for the better part of four decades. He became assistant director of the American Youth Philharmonic in 1990. In 2001, he was on the faculty of MasterWorks.

On 13^th January 2002, the AYP made its debut at Carnegie Hall. They were joined on stage by Adel and his good friend, Arturo Sandoval. The program included music penned by Arturo for the soundtrack of For Love or Country, as well as Manuel de Falla’s The Three Cornered-Hat, Franz Joseph Haydn’s “Trumpet Concerto”, and Antonio Vivaldi’s “Concerto for Two Trumpets”.

In the spring of 2003, the NSO Principals Brass Quintet honoured its North Dakota residency. At the time, it consisted of horn player Martin Hackleman, trumpeters Steven Hendrickson and Adel, trombonist Milton Stevens and tuba player David Bragunier. The fivesome educated and entertained audiences at Beulah Middle School, Kenmare High School, the North Dakota College of Science in Wahpeton, Red River High School and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Grand Forks, the University of Mary in Bismarck, and West Fargo High School. Their repertoire included: Morley Calvert’s “Suite from the Montegegian Hills”; Duke Ellington’s “Three American Jazz Classics”; Georg Frideric Handel’s “Hallelujah” and overture to Berenice; W.C. Handy’s “Beale Street Blues”; Gustav Holst’s “Second Suite in F”; and, Peter Schickele’s “Fanfare to the Common Cold” and “Variations on a Joke”.

On 7^th March 2004, they appeared in concert at the McLean Community Center’s Alden Theatre in McLean, Virginia. Adel joined forces with the Patrick Henry College Orchestra for music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Tartini and Richard Wagner at the United Methodist Church in Purcellville, Virginia, on 12^th March 2004.

On Easter Sunday 2005, he shared the stage with the Quintessential Brass Repertoire at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. for Bach’s “Wie will ich mich freuen” (“My Spirit Be Joyful”) from Cantata, BWV 146. He was back at the NPC on 22^nd May 2005 for some Musical Hors d’ouevres courtesy of the Barham Organ Concert Series where he and fellow NSO members Martin Hackleman and Milton Stevens teamed up with harpist Dotian Levalier and organist William Neil.

On 4^th July 2005, members of the NSO performed a Kinderkonzert called Got Rhythm? at the Kennedy Center Theater Lab. The program comprised the second movement from Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Pastoral” symphony, Georges Bizet’s “Habanera” from Carmen, and—what else—“I Got Rhythm” by George Gershwin.

In February 2008, Adel and violinists Elisabeth Adkins and Holly Hamilton were in Greenville, South Carolina, for an NSO residency at the Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities.

Adel, bassist Robert Oppelt, bassoonist Lewis Lipnick, cellist Yvonne Caruthers, flautist Aaron Goldman, horn player Scott Fearing, oboist William Wielgus, violinist Ricardo Cyncynates and violist Daniel Foster were the players in an NSO residency in Arkansas in March 2009. Their itinerary included master classes at the University of Arkansas and rehearsal and sectional coachings of the University of Central Arkansas Symphony in Reynolds Performance Hall.

On 5^th April 2009, Adel, bassist Richard Barber, clarinetist Edward Cabarga and violinist Glenn Donnellan reprised their Got Rhythm? Kinderkonzert at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Recordings on which he appears include The American Brass Journal and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

Paul Hill Chorale recordings

O Come All Ye Faithful (Frederick Oakeley/John Francis Wade)

Arranger – Jackson Berkey

Conductor – Paul Hill

Organist – Sondra Proctor

National Capital Brass and Percussion Ensemble

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