WE ARE
Committed to Opera
French horn player Hugo Valverde enjoys a prolific career in the United States and abroad as an orchestral player and soloist, currently holding the Second Horn position at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City.
Other commitments as an orchestral musician include performances with the National Symphony Orchestra of his native Costa Rica, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Houston Symphony and the New York City Ballet Orchestra, as well as festivals such as Classical Tahoe in Nevada, The Strings Music Festival Brass Ensemble in Colorado, The Orchestra of the Americas and The Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan.
In his role as a soloist he has performed with the Lynn Philharmonia, the Costa Rican National Symphony Orchestra and the Heredia Symphony Orchestra. Amongst these performances, highlights include the premier of the piece “Tributo al Ciudadano Pablo” by Marvin Camacho, commissioned and dedicated to Mr. Valverde. This reflects his commitment to Latin American repertoire, having also performed and premiered the Horn Sonata by fellow Costa Rican pianist and composer Manuel Matarrita.
Mr. Valverde often performs chamber music concerts with his colleagues of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and throughout New York City. He has appeared as a performer with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and with the Parlance Chamber Series in Ridgewood, New Jersey.
A dedicated educator, Mr. Valverde has been involved in pedagogical programs in the United States and Latin America, giving masterclasses for the Orchestra of the Americas, Yale University School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New York University, Bard College Conservatory of Music, National Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, The Blackburn Music Academy in Napa Valley, San Jose State University, Austin Peay University, New World School of the Arts, University of Panama School of Music and the University of Costa Rica, among others.
During the pandemic he created the project “Lockdown Warmups”, which offered 40+ free masterclasses and professional coaching for young Latin American students, inviting musicians from prestigious orchestras and music institutions across the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Mr. Valverde is a faculty member at the Bard College Conservatory of Music and the Precollege Division at Manhattan School of Music.
A native of Costa Rica, Mr. Valverde studied at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas, Lynn University Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida and the National Music Institute in San José, Costa Rica. His main teachers are Daniel León, Luis Murillo, Gregory Miller and William VerMeulen.
