Mario
Bernardi

In a career spanning more than forty years, Maestro Bernardi has directed most of Canada’s major orchestras and opera companies. The discipline of his work, the conscientiousness of his programming and the outstanding results he has achieved as an orchestra builder have earned him a reputation as the foremost Canadian conductor of his generation. Throughout his career he has championed the works of Canadian composers and he has commissioned, premiered and recorded works by many of his country’s contemporary composers. In 1969 he became the Founding Conductor of the newly-formed National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) in Ottawa. With NACO he also performed as a piano soloist, conducting from the keyboard. Under his leadership NACO built a top-notch reputation both in the recording studio and among critics, and toured the United States, Mexico, Europe and Russia. He was named its Conductor Laureate in 1997. He has been a guest conductor for, among others, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago and Pittsburgh Orchestras and the San Francisco, Washington, New York City and Metropolitan Operas. He has made some 50 recordings with orchestras around the world. He has been Principal Conductor of the CBC Radio Orchestra since 1983 and has recorded extensively with this orchestra.