Bernadene Blaha of the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California leads a master class with UW piano students.

Note: Bernadene Blaha also performs a recital of works by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schubert, and Gershwin/Wild on Sunday, April 8, 2 p.m., at Brechemin Audtiorium. Details are available here.

ARTIST BIO

Bernadene Blaha, piano

Bernadene Blaha's command of the piano, whether featured as recitalist, concerto soloist or chamber musician, has been heralded in performances throughout North America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Mexico.  Recent highlights include seven chamber performances with Netherlands’Amati Ensemble at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam; and Schloss Mirabel, Salzburg as well as the 2011 CD release of Schubert piano trios with her trio, Latitude 41.  This summer she has been invited to serve on the international jury of the Gina Bachauer International Junior and Young Artists Piano Competition and on the faculty of the California Institute of Music in Weikersheim, Germany.

Originally from Canada, Ms. Blaha first came to international attention as a prizewinner in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition; the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Masterplayers International Competition, Lugano, Switzerland; and the 11th Annual International Piano Competition, New York City.  This latter award resulted in two highly acclaimed recital appearances, at Carnegie Recital Hall and the Lincoln Center Library.  Soon afterward, Ms. Blaha was featured in the opening orchestra concert and a solo recital at the XXIX International Chopin Festival in Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, followed by solo recitals at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and in London, England.

A highly regarded chamber musician, Ms. Blaha has been a regular guest at international festivals including, The Newport Festival, Tucson Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Bard Festival, Festival of the Sound, Banff Festival of the Arts, Australia Festival of Chamber Music and Festival de San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Ms. Blaha's first solo CD featured the piano music of Chopin. Piano & Keyboard's review referred to her as " a pianist of integrity, with lovely sonorities and total clarity of line.  She understands and respects Chopin and lets his eloquence speak for itself."  Her discography also includes a CBC Records CD of Sonatas by Strauss, Debussy, and Barber with cellist Shauna Rolston; a CBC Records album of the complete works of Schumann with violist Rivka Golani and the complete works of Felix Mendelssohn for Cello and Piano with cellist Elizabeth Dolin on the Analekta label.  Her most recent recording of Schubert Piano Trios with Latitude 41 was released by Eloquentia Records in the fall of 2011 and is available on itunes and Amazon.

Born in Brantford, Ontario, Ms. Blaha was a scholarship student of Boris Berlin at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and of Mme. Ania Dorfmann at the Juilliard School where she graduated with a Bachelor and Master of Music Degree. Her other mentors included: Marek Jablonski, Menahem Pressler, Gyorgy Sebok and Ludwig Stefanski.

Ms. Blaha currently resides in Los Angeles, and since 1993 has been a member of the Keyboard Faculty at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California where she is an Associate Professor.