Abel Pereira, a new American citizen, is originally from Porto, Portugal, and graduated from Porto University. He earned his master’s degree at Frankfurt’s Hochschule für Musik with Marie Luise Neunecker, and a post-graduate degree in orchestral conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. He was appointed principal horn of the National Symphony Orchestra by Christoph Eschenbach in 2014.

Before moving to the United States, Pereira held principal positions with the Porto Symphony and the London Philharmonic. A frequent guest principal with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Dallas Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and Berlin Philharmonic, he has been guest professor at the Guildhall School of Music, Frankfurt University, Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory, Curtis Institute, The Juilliard School, and Manhattan School of Music. He has played more than sixty solo performances with orchestras around the world. In addition to his activity as a professor and horn player, Abel has served as music director of the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra since 2016 and as principal conductor of the Kennedy Center Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has conducted orchestras throughout Europe and the Americas.

Pereira plays an Alex 103 horn with a Bach 3 mouthpiece, and enjoys sailing in his time off.