Born and raised in San José, Costa Rica, Adrián began his clarinet studies in 1997 at the National Institute of Music of Costa Rica. He obtained his BM magna cum laude from Virginia Commonwealth University, his MM with distinction from DePaul University, and his Doctorate in Musical Arts from the Eastman School of Music. His main professors have included Ken Grant, Jon Manasse, Larry Combs, Julie DeRoche, Dr. Charles West, and Jose Manuel Ugalde.
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Hailed by the New York Times as “a brilliantly cool yet tender soloist”, he is an active solo recitalist and has given chamber music and solo performances throughout his musical career in different cities in Costa Rica, Panama, USA, Canada, China, Mexico, Germany, Belgium, Guatemala, Ireland and England.
As an avid performer of new music, Adrián is currently a member of loadbang, Ensemble Signal, founder of Ensamble ECO and has performed with groups such as New York New Music Ensemble, SEM Ensemble, Mimesis Ensemble, Numinous, and has toured with Bang on a Can All-Stars. Regularly performing works of rising and living composers, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with composer/conductors Oliver Knussen, Tristan Murail, Steve Reich, Charles Wourinen, Hilda Paredes, Anna Clyne, David Lang and John Zorn.
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He served on the faculty of Wichita State University from 2011-2012 as Assistant Visiting Professor of Clarinet. As an orchestral musician, Adrián has performed as the principal clarinetist of Wichita Symphony Orchestra for their 2011-2012 season, has performed with ensembles such as the Princeton Symphony Orchestra, Lake Placid Sinfonietta, Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica, Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific and is currently a member of Orquesta Sinfónica de Heredia.
Some of his recording projects include albums such as Ensemble Signal’s Harmonia Mundi release of Reich: Double Sextet / Radio Rewrite, the album “Dying will be easy” with the Richmond VA based improvisatory ensemble Fight the Big Bull, a solo work by Hilda Paredes in her album Señales and the music of mexican composer Juan Pablo Contreras in “Silencio en Juárez by Albany Records.
Adrián has won numerous awards, including First Place and Honorable Mention in the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) State and Regional Chamber Music Competitions respectively, a Semifinalist at the International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition, First Place winner of the MTNA Young Artist Competition at the State Level and also a winner of the Virginia Commonwealth University Concerto Competition. While pursuing his DMA at Eastman School of Music and working as a Graduate Assistant, he was awarded the “2010-2011 Teaching Assistant Prize for Excellence in Teaching.
