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Known as an insightful interpreter of the symphonic repertoire, David Bernard is acclaimed by New York critics as a "sound conductor" whose "vast knowledge" and "instinctive musicality" "add depth" to important masterworks while "exuding elasticity and elegance" and delivering "magnificent performances". In addition to leading the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony since 1999, Maestro Bernard served as Music Director of the Stony Brook University Orchestra, the Gilbert and Sullivan Light Opera Company of Long Island and Theater Three, and was assistant conductor of both the Stamford Symphony (CT) and the Jacksonville Symphony (FL).
Maestro Bernard's unique approach to making music stresses clarity of expression -- illuminating the work for the audience through balance, articulation, emphasis and phrasing. He has been featured in PlaybillArts.com, The Juilliard Journal, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, The New York Times and on Charles Osgood's Sunday Morning on CBS. His performances have been broadcast on WQXR and WNYC.
Bernard's recent conducting appearances include performances at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall and Symphony Space, most notably Beethoven's Ninth Symphony at Riverside Church, Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony at Carnegie Hall, Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Dvořák's Cello Concerto with Carter Brey, Principal Cellist of the New York Philharmonic, and world premičres of works by Bruce Adolphe, Chris Caswell and John Mackey. He has prepared a new edition of Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 1, and has written a Music Theory textbook, "The Structural Principles of Music". He lectures on musicology, music history and musicianship, most recently "Musicianship in Performance", an exploration of the decisions musicians make when creating performances.
Mr. Bernard has appeared with notable soloists, including Carter Brey, Sandra Wolf-Meei Cameron, Catherine Cho, Bart Feller, Judith Ingolfsson, Christina Jennings, Jessica Lee, Soyeon Lee, Jon Manasse, Todd Phillips and James Archie Worley. Bernard has also appeared in the dual role of conductor and keyboard soloist in two Bach concertos: the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 and the Keyboard Concerto in f minor, BWV 1056, and frequently leads orchestral performances from the harpsichord continuo.
Maestro Bernard is an alumnus of The Juilliard School, The Curtis Institute of Music, Stony Brook University, the Tanglewood Music Center and Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
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