Education
- Artist Diploma, University of Toronto
Biography
Best known as the concertmaster of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Marie Bérard is also a sought-after chamber musician, soloist, recording artist and teacher. She is a former member of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and has performed with a variety of smaller ensembles such as Amici, ArrayMusic and New Music Concerts and is also a member of Trio Arkel as well as the ARC Ensemble which has toured in Europe, China and the United States and was twice nominated for a Grammy Award for their Sony recordings.
Highly regarded as an interpreter of contemporary music, Ms. Bérard has released a recording of a concerto by Henry Kucharzyk for violin and brass ensemble on the Opening Day label and can be heard on numerous CBC Records including the Meditation from Thais with the COC orchestra.
Ms. Bérard is a regular performer at numerous chamber music festivals, notably the Domaine Forget International Festival, Ottawa's Music & Beyond Festival, The Blair Atholl festival in Scotland, Strings Music Festival in Colorado and holds the position of associate concertmaster of the Mainly Mozart festival in San Diego.
Marie was the featured soloist in Gubaidulina's Offertorium and Figures Hatives by John Rea with the Esprit Orchestra.
Ms. Bérard is a member of the faculty of the Glenn Gould School and the music faculty of the University of Toronto.
She plays a 1767 Pietro Landolfi violin.