Kim Bernard

Pianist Kim Bernard is a rising figure on the French scene, having participated in international competitions since he was a preteen. Signed to the Erato label, he released his debut album in 2022. Bernard was born in Hyères in southeastern France in 1999 and has been something of a prodigy. He began piano lessons at age five, studying with Michelle Mary. For a time, he participated in the Piano Cantabile program designed to nurture piano talents, and in 2008, he matriculated at the Regional Conservatory of Toulon, studying with Célimène Daudet. He graduated in 2011, still just 12 years old, with a Diplôme d'études musicales (DEM) certificate, with unanimous approval and congratulations from the jury. Soon after that, Bernard's run of competition prizes began in 2012 with a first prize at the Montrond-les-Bains International Competition in the under 17 category, the Young Talent Prize at the International Competition of Île-de-France, and the first prize at the National Competition of the Nuits Pianistiques of Aix-en-Provence; the latter was an adult competition. Bernard was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon in 2014 and studied in the class of Florent Boffard. He earned a bachelor's degree in 2016 and a Master II degree in 2018, studying with Laurent Cabasso. In addition to his pursuit of classical piano, Bernard is a jazz enthusiast who admires the work of Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, and Charles Mingus and is a talented improviser himself. He was the inaugural winner of a competition to receive support from a foundation established by cellist Gautier Capuçon. In 2019 and 2020, he began concertizing, appearing at such venues at the Bozar Festival in Brussels, where he gave recitals devoted to Bach, Debussy, and Ravel. Bernard released his debut album, Chopin, Debussy, Ravel, on Erato in 2022.
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