Bernard Playing Bernard Adelstein
CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA & MORE
Bernard Principal TrumpetIn 1960 Adelstein was invited by George Szell to become principal trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra. He held the Richard S. And Robert C. Weiskopf Endowed Chair. Under Szell, the Orchestra entered a period of dramatic and sustained growth. The length of the season gradually grew from 30 to 52 weeks. Blossom Music Center, the summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra was opened in 1968. Local and nationwide broadcasts and recording activities were expanded. Szell led the Orchestra on tours throughout Europe, Canada, the Far East, Russia, South America and throughout the United States.

Lorin Maazel served as Music Director of the Cleveland Orchestra from 1973-83. Christoph von Dohnanyi joined the Cleveland Orchestra in 1984 to become its’ sixth Music Director.

Bernard played and taught at numerous summer festivals including: the Casals Festival, the Aspen Festival, the Grand Teton and the Waterloo Music Festivals. For several years he taught at the Oberlin College Conservatory. In 1963 he began a long tenure as head of the trumpet department at The Cleveland Institute of Music. Some of Bernard's trumpet students are professors at universities and a number have gone on to play with world-class orchestras in the U.S. and Europe. He also headed the brass department of the Blossom Festival School. Bernard was featured as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra on several occasions and of course on numerous recordings under Szell and many other famous conductors, requiring the virtuoso skills of the solo trumpet.

Throughout his career Adelstein participated in hundreds of recordings, many of which won notable awards. In 1988 after 28 years as principal trumpet with The Cleveland Orchestra, Bernard Adelstein retired to accept the position of Professor of Music at Indiana University where he stayed until 1994.

Bernard retired from indiana University and moved to Sarasota, Florida with his wife, Connie, where they lived for over 20 years, often spending summers on Martha's Vineyard. They enjoyed friends, family, music, sun, sand, surf, and more.

Bernard passed away September, 30, 2017, as did Connie on October 30, 2020.

Portions of text taken from:
“The Legacy of Bernard Adelstein” by Roger Sherman, ITG Journal, December, 1988

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