Mario Bernardi, (20 August 1930 – 2 June 2013) was a Canadian
conductor and
pianist
A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...
.
[Mario Bernardi]
at The Canadian Encyclopedia
''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage.
Available fo ...
. He conducted 75 different operas and over 450 other works with the
National Arts Centre Orchestra.
Biography
Bernardi was born in
Kirkland Lake
Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The 2016 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,981.
The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn was named after Winnifre ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
and spent his first six years in Canada. After his family moved to Italy,
Bernardi studied piano, organ, and composition with at the Manzato Conservatory at Treviso and took his examinations at Italy's
Venice Conservatory.
After graduating in 1945, his family returned to Canada where he finished his studies at
The Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), branded as The Royal Conservatory, is a non-profit music education institution and performance venue headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1886 by Edward Fisher as The Toronto Con ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
.
He then was a concert pianist.
In 1957 he conducted the
Canadian Opera Company,
and in 1963 was coach and assistant conductor at the Sadler's Wells Opera Company (now the
English National Opera).
In 1968 he became the founding conductor of the
National Arts Centre Orchestra in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
,
and also became the music director in 1971.
He then led the
Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra from 1984 until 1992.
From 1983 until 2006 he was the principal conductor of the
CBC Radio Orchestra.
He then retired from full-time work, although he continued to perform with numerous orchestras as an occasional guest conductor;
he was named NACO's conductor laureate in 1997.
He has made several dozen recordings for
CBC Records
CBC Records was a Canadian record label owned and operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which distributed CBC programming, including live concert performances, in album and digital format(s)."CBC Records is the corporation's biggest h ...
, the
CBC's in-house label, among others.
He died on 2 June 2013 in Toronto.
["NAC Orchestra founding conductor Mario Bernardi dies"]
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
, 3 June 2013.
Personal life
Bernardi worked until age 80, when he had a serious stroke and moved to a care home. He continued to play piano until he lost sufficient finger dexterity.
Bernardi was married, with one daughter and two grandsons.
Honours
* He has honorary degrees from the
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...
,
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...
,
University of Windsor,
University of Ottawa,
Carleton University
Carleton University is an English-language public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1942 as Carleton College, the institution originally operated as a private, non-denominational evening college to serve returning World ...
,
Lakehead University and
Laurentian University
Laurentian University (french: Université Laurentienne), officially the Laurentian University of Sudbury, is a mid-sized Bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public university in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, incorporated on March 28, 1960. Lau ...
.
* 1972: He was made a Companion of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
.
* 1982: Received the Diplôme d'Honneur from the Canadian Conference of the Arts
* 1999: Bernardi received the National Arts Centre Award, a companion award of the
Governor General's Performing Arts Awards
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...
.
* 2001: He received the
Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
* 2006: He was made a Fellow of the
Royal Society of Canada
The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...
.
References
Further reading
Interview with Mario Bernardi 5 June 1995
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bernardi, Mario
1930 births
2013 deaths
Male conductors (music)
Canadian classical pianists
Male classical pianists
Companions of the Order of Canada
Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
Canadian people of Italian descent
People from Kirkland Lake
Fellows of the Royal Conservatory of Music
The Royal Conservatory of Music alumni
Governor General's Performing Arts Award winners
20th-century classical pianists
20th-century Canadian pianists
Juno Award for Classical Album of the Year – Large Ensemble or Soloist(s) with Large Ensemble Accompaniment winners
20th-century Canadian conductors (music)
20th-century Canadian male musicians