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He Born 1972, was appointed
principal clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra by
Wolfgang Sawallisch in 2002 and joined the Orchestra in
2003. Prior to this, he was principal clarinet of the
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, a position he assumed at
the age of 21 under the direction of James Levine. He
has also served as principal clarinet of the Florida
Symphony.
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Morales began his
studies at the Escuela Libre de Musica along with his
five siblings, who are all distinguished musicians. He
continued his studies at the Cincinnati Conservatory of
Music and Indiana University, where he received his
Artist Diploma.
He has been a featured soloist with
many orchestras including The Philadelphia Orchestra, |
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the Metropolitan Opera
Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony,
the Indianapolis Symphony, the Flemish Radio Symphony,
the North Carolina Symphony, the Puerto Rico Symphony,
the Florida Symphony, and the Columbus Symphony, and at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art Concert Series. During
his tenure with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Mr.
Morales soloed under the baton of James Levine in
Carnegie Hall and on two European tours. Subsequently,
he made his solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra
in 2004 with Charles Dutoit at the Saratoga Performing
Arts Center, and performed as soloist in 2005 with
Christoph Eschenbach in Verizon Hall.
An active chamber musician, Mr. Morales has performed in
the MET Chamber Ensemble series at Carnegie’s Weill
Recital Hall with James Levine at the piano, at the
Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Saratoga Chamber
Music Festival, the Kennedy Center, on NBC’s The Today
Show, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln
Center. Mr. Morales is highly sought after for his
recitals and master classes, which have taken him
throughout North America and Europe. In addition, he
currently serves on the faculties of the Juilliard
School and Temple University.
Hailed by the New York Times as having “… fleet
technique, utterly natural musical grace, and the
lyricism and breath control of a fine opera singer,” Mr.
Morales was also singled out in the New York Times
review of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of
Berlioz’s Les Troyens, when the paper described his
playing as “exquisite” and declared that he “deserved a
place onstage during curtain calls.”
Mr. Morales’s performances can be seen and heard on the
numerous televised and radio broadcasts from the
Metropolitan Opera Live from Lincoln Center series. His
debut solo recording, French Portraits, is available on
the Boston Records label. Mr. Morales has joined forces
with internationally recognized master acoustician and
instrument maker Morrie Backun to create MoBa, a company
of top of the line clarinet accessories, including
mouthpieces, bells, and barrels.
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