mark bernat

Mark Bernat has led an active career as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player. Trained at the Juilliard School, Mr. Bernat held positions as Section Bassist with the Israel Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and as Principal Bassist of the Jerusalem Symphony under Lukas Foss. He has served as a faculty member at the Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Texas-Austin, and his former students hold positions in major orchestras and universities. His accomplishments as a soloist include first prize in the Juilliard Double Bass Competition and the Bloch Competition and recitals all over the world including at Carnegie Recital Hall and London’s Purcell Room. His transcriptions of major works for the double bass, published by International Music Company, have greatly expanded the solo repertoire for double bass. Mr. Bernat was the first double bassist to perform all six of the Bach Suites in a landmark recording and has recently re-released a new recording of the Suites to much acclaim.

Mr. Bernat has also been passionate about bringing classical music to new audiences. In 2009, he joined University of Iowa Healthcare to bring music into the hospital for patients and their families. There, he also formed an orchestra, concert band, and jazz band all consisting of faculty and staff. While in Iowa, he also directed the Red Barn Chamber Music Series for which he received funding from the Iowa Council of the Arts. In 2021, he was recruited back to the University of

Texas-Austin to establish a music program at Dell Seton Medical Center.