Harold Madrigal Frias began his musical studies aged 8 in the National School of Arts in Havana, Cuba.
Already as a student he played with some of the top Cuban bands and over the years worked as a lead trumpet with the Joaquín Betancourt’s Jazz band, Cesar López & the Habana Ensemble, Roberto Fonseca & Bandidos All-Stars and the world famous Buena Vista Social Club and Orquesta Akokán.
Harold has been the principal trumpet of the Havana Lyceum Orchestra since 2008. For him it is very important to cultivate the flexibility of performing both Cuban and classical music – something quite tricky for a trumpet embouchure and something his Schagerl trumpet is a huge help with!
Harold has recorded and shared the stage with important world musicians like: Sarah Willis, Thomas Hengelbrock, Simone Dinnerstein ,Ronald Zollman, Walter Reiter, Remy Ballot and Duncan Ward.
He has been featured in different Festivals around the world such as: WOMAD UK, WOMAD NZ, WOMADELAIDE, Fiest‘A Sete Festival, Les Nuits de Fourviére, Nice Jazz, Nancy Pulsations, North Sea Jazz Festival, SF Jazz, Global Fest , Midnight Summer Jazz Festival, Sydney Fest, etc.
My Schagerl James Morrison Trumpet
My Schagerl trumpet is simply the perfect tool to help me transition smoothly from the classical music world to commercial and popular music playing. Its warm sound and wide sound spectrum enables me to go from a morning rehearsal of Mozart with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra to a night filled with Mambo and Cuban music solos. It makes my world much easier and I will be forever grateful to Karl Schagerl for making this possible.
My Schagerl trumpet was organised as a surprise from my dear friend Sarah Willis. It was made possible by the Instruments for Cuba fund set up as part of her Mozart & Mambo project together with the generousity of Karl Schagerl. In Cuba it is a rare thing to receive a brand new instrument and seeing the name Schagerl and unboxing the trumpet, I was like a kid opening a treasure. Playing the trumpet for the first time was an unforgettable moment and it remains my most prized posession.
