Bethel Park High School alum Daniel Salera has made a name for himself as a professional horn player in The Big Apple .
Salera , 31 , is a 2010 graduate of Bethel Park High School . At BPHS , he was heavily involved in all the first-class music activities the district had to offer . He played in Symphonic Band and sang in Concert Choir and Top21 . “ I participated in the spring musical all four years — two as a horn player in the pit and two on the stage as a performer ,” he recalls . “ The 2009 production of ‘ The Music Man ’ as a member of the barbershop quartet was especially memorable .”
Salera also participated in the Three Rivers Young People ’ s Orchestra and Pittsburgh Youth Symphony during his senior year , and was a member of the high school golf team for four years .
After graduating from BPHS , Salera attended Penn State University where he received a bachelor ’ s degree in Music Performance in 2014 . He then earned his master ’ s degree , also in Music Performance , from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 2016 . A couple of years after moving to the New York City metro area , Salera married his college sweetheart , Sarah , in 2019 . The two currently live in Hoboken , New Jersey .
Salera has been working as a freelance French horn player in New York City for nearly six years . “ My performing is as varied as it gets — I have performed with groups big and small all throughout the area ,” he says .
Salera is a member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and was recently hired to perform alongside Roger Daltrey and The Who at the Bethel Woods Amphitheater next to the site of the Woodstock Music Festival . Add in woodwind and brass quintets , educational concerts , wedding bands and jazz ensembles , and Salera ’ s work is nothing short of eclectic .
“ The main , and most rewarding , body of work I do is performing on Broadway shows ,” he says . He has performed as a substitute on “ The Lion King ,” “ Aladdin ,” “ King Kong ,” “ Into the Woods ” and “ The Music Man ,” along with “ The Radio City Christmas Spectacular Show with the Rockettes ” at Radio City Music Hall .
“ Theater playing is different and can be more exciting than concert music , because there ’ s many elements happening all at once — music from the pit , actors onstage , the lights , the costumes ,” he explains . “ It ’ s a rush to be a small part of the overall production . This is especially true of longer-running shows like ‘ The Lion King ’ and ‘ Aladdin ,’ where there ’ s a lot of history around you , and so many talented people have been through the doors .”
One of Salera ’ s most memorable experiences so far was playing a part in “ The Music Man ” on Broadway , with Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster as the main characters . “ After being in the cast at BPHS , to have the chance to play it for real on Broadway 13 years later was totally surreal ,” he says . “ The nostalgia and joy were nearly overwhelming , and something I ’ ll never forget .”
Salera ’ s inspirations for pursuing a musical career were cemented pretty young . “ I knew from as far back as middle school that I wanted to play the horn professionally , when my parents started taking me to Pittsburgh Symphony concerts ,” he recalls . “ They have been season tickets for many years , going back to when they were dating .” Their appreciation for classical music brought Salera along and introduced him to live orchestral playing .
“ It ’ s hard to put into words how transformational hearing the Pittsburgh Symphony on a regular basis was ,” Salera continues . “ It is truly a world-class ensemble , with a terrific section of French horn players — one of whom would become my teacher throughout most of high school , after my original horn teacher sadly passed away . When I heard the orchestra play , it was like time stood still . The sound , precision , and sheer excitement of the way the horns played was like rocket fuel to my young mind . Band , or music in general , was what I loved to do , and then when I realized they got paid to play the horn , it was all over . This is what I had to do . From about 8th grade on , I knew what I wanted to do .”
Salera feels very lucky to have had such great musical experiences growing up in Bethel Park and the Pittsburgh area . Being a member of two youth orchestras and a Pittsburgh-wide children ’ s chorus allowed him to perform in the great halls of Pittsburgh , notably in a handful of Pittsburgh Opera productions , plus he was able to sing and play alongside the Pittsburgh Symphony on a few occasions — all of which exposed him to highcaliber music making that had a lasting effect : “ I credit my musical upbringing from all the music teachers I had in BP to be the rocksolid foundation to all my musical endeavors of today .” n
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Theater playing is different and can be more exciting than concert music , because there ’ s many elements happening all at once — music from the pit , actors onstage , the lights , the costumes — it ’ s a rush to be a small part of the overall production .”
BETHEL PARK ❘ FALL 2022 19