Who I am, What I’m about

Seattle-based tubist Andy Abel maintains an active performance and teaching career throughout the Pacific Northwest. He serves as Principal Tuba of the Spokane Symphony, holding the Leonard I. Byrne Chair, and as Principal Tuba of the Oregon Ballet Theatre Orchestra. He is also on the faculty of Whitworth University and maintains a private studio for serious middle and high school musicians. In addition to his regular positions, Andy performs frequently with orchestras and ensembles throughout the region, including the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. During the 2025–26 season, he served as Principal Tuba of the Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra.

With the Spokane Symphony, Andy performs regularly at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox and is increasingly active as a chamber musician and educator throughout the Inland Northwest. His performance work extends beyond the concert hall, with appearances in brass ensembles and community performances ranging from educational programs to minor-league baseball games. He is particularly interested in creating opportunities for brass players to perform together and in connecting professional musicians with the next generation of performers.

Andy’s professional career began at age 18 performing Symphonie Fantastique alongside the Seattle Symphony. In 2013, he won First Prize in the MTNA National Senior Brass Performance Competition and, while a freshman at the University of Washington he became the youngest-ever tuba fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center where he studied and performed with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. After completing graduate work at The Colburn School in Los Angeles, Andy spent four seasons at a fellow with the New World Symphony in Miami Beach. Founded by the recently passed conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas, New World Symphony is an innovative orchestral academy whose alumni perform and teach around the world.

As a guest musician, Andy has performed with many of the leading orchestras and opera companies in the United States. In addition to his regular work throughout the Pacific Northwest, he has appeared with the Cincinnati, St. Louis, Baltimore, and Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera. His summer festival appearances have included the Britt Festival, Bellingham Festival of Music, Spoleto Festival USA, Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood Music Center, and the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival.

Andy is also a seasoned studio musician whose work spans television, video games, commercial recordings, and live performance. His recording credits include the Emmy-winning television series Community and Dota 2, one of the world’s most widely played video games. He can also be heard on Seattle Symphony recordings including The Unchanging Sea (2018) and The Flying Lotus (2017). His commercial performance work has included appearances with artists such as Beck, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and Queens of the Stone Age.

As an educator, Andy is committed to developing thoughtful, versatile, and confident young brass musicians. He is on the faculty at Whitworth University, where he teaches tuba and euphonium, and was formerly on the faculty of Pacific Lutheran University. He has presented masterclasses and guest lectures at institutions including Oberlin College, the University of Oregon, and the University of Washington. He also serves on the faculty of the annual Midsummer Music Retreat in Walla Walla, Washington, a non-competitive summer program where adult musicians of all experience levels come together to study, perform, and enjoy making music. In addition to his university teaching, Andy maintains private studios for serious middle and high school students in the Pacific Northwest.

Beyond his work as a musician and educator, Andy has developed a parallel career in professional fundraising and arts development. He has served on development teams for major symphony orchestras, working with prospective donors and creating opportunities for meaningful philanthropic engagement in support of classical musician—an experience broadening his perspective on the institutions, audiences, and communities that sustain professional music-making.

Andy holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Washington, where he studied with Christopher Olka, Principal Tuba of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and a Master of Music from the Colburn School, where he studied with Norman Pearson, retired Principal Tuba of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Mark Lawrence, retired Principal Trombone of the San Francisco Symphony. He is an Eastman Performing Artist and performs on an Eastman EBC836 tuba.

Andy lives in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood with his wife and their two cats, Merry and Pippin. Away from music, he enjoys skiing, watching baseball, and collecting vinyl records.