Biography
Combining instrumental mastery with in-depth musicological research, Vincent Bernhardt is a complete musician: an internationally renowned harpsichordist and organist, doctor in musicology, and ensemble director while at the same time pedagogue and researcher.
Born in 1987, Vincent Bernhardt is currently professor of organ at Stuttgart’s Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst, where he succeeded Nathan Laube and Ludger Lohmann. He also heads the organ and harpsichord institute there.
Winner of several music competitions (Gottfried Silbermann International Organ Competition in Freiberg, Grand Prix Bach in Lausanne and Cavaillé-Coll competition in Ville-d’Avray; International Harpsichord Competitions in Bologna and Lugano etc.), Vincent Bernhardt studied in Lyon (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse), Stuttgart (Hochschule für Musik) and Basel (Schola Cantorum). He holds four Masters degrees in music performance (organ, harpsichord, basso continuo and early organ) as well as a doctorate in musicology, and studied with internationally renowned pedagogues (Andrea Marcon, Jesper Christensen, Yves Rechsteiner, François Espinasse, Liesbeth Schlumberger, Jan Willem Jansen, Bernhard Haas, Jörg Andreas Bötticher, Lorenzo Ghielmi, Jon Laukvik, Gérard Geay etc.).
Since his debut as a harpsichordist with the European Union Baroque Orchestra at the age of 19, Vincent has been invited to give recitals at numerous international festivals, and has performed in some twenty European countries as well as in North America. As a soloist, his recording of the first book of the Well-Tempered Clavier, released in summer 2020 by Calliope, received unanimous international critical acclaim and was nominated for the International Classical Music Awards and the Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
After initiating and directing a cycle of Bach cantatas in Lyon, in 2022 Vincent took over the direction of the Luxembourg baroque ensemble La Chapelle Saint-Marc (founded in 1998), with whom he explores Italian baroque music in particular. Their next album, dedicated to the handwritten trio sonatas of Giuseppe Torelli, will be released in 2024.
As a chamber musician, he collaborates particularly with violinist Sue-Ying Koang. Their album “Dalla biblioteca di Vivaldi?” (Calliope, 2021) features anonymous sonatas from the early 18th century. A second album, “Travelling with a violin” (2023), is devoted to Torelli’s manuscript sonatas for violin and continuo.
As a researcher, he defended a doctoral thesis on interpreting Vivaldi’s music, and his field of expertise is instrumental music of the early 18th century.
Vincent Bernhardt has also conducted the Klaipėda Chamber Orchestra (Lithuania), with which he has recorded three albums: Handel’s oboe concertos (Brilliant Classics, 2022), Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos (Calliope, 2023), and the orchestral works of Johan Daniel Berlin (to be released in 2024). His recordings of Vivaldi concertos have been highly praised by the specialist press (CHOC by Classica magazine and 5 diapasons). Vincent also performs regularly with the Freiburger Barockorchester.