Philippe Bernold

Flute, conductor

Philippe Bernold began his musical studies in his home town (Colmar) by studying the flute, and then harmony and orchestral conducting under René Matter, disciple of Münch. Entering the Paris Conservatoire, he obtained a brilliant Premier Prix on the flute, and the following year, at the age of 23, was named Principal Flute of the orchestra of the National Opera in Lyon.

In 1987, he won first prize at the International Jean-Pierre Rampal Competition. This distinction led him to a career as a soloist in the company of the most well known artists and orchestras. He played with Rostropovich and Rampal, with orchestras in Paris and Tokyo, under the direction of Gardiner, Maazel, Bychkov and Menuhin… He returned to orchestral conducting in 1994, when he founded, encouraged by his mentor John Eliot Gardiner, The Lyon Opera Virtuosi, which quickly gained success. Since then, he has directed ensembles such as Sinfonia Varsovia, the Simon Bolivar (Caracas), Baden-Baden Philharmonia, Chamber Orchestras of Paris and Geneva, Kanazawa Ensemble (Japan), Bucheon (Seoul) and the Cappella Istropolitana, of which he has been first guest conductor since 2003.

 

His first CD earned him the Grand Prix of the Adacemy Charles Cros in 1989. Since then, Philippe Bernold has made more than 20 recordings for Harmonia Mundi and EMI. With the pianist Alexandre Tharaud, he has made several recordings which have been honoured with the “Choc” (Monde de la Musique) and the “Diapason D’Or”. Philippe Bernold is a professor of chamber music and flute at the Paris Conservatoire.