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Press Releases
Massapequa Philharmonic renews Music Director David Bernard’s contract for Three Years
The Massapequa Philharmonic has renewed Music Director David Bernard’s contract for three years, through 2027. Since his appointment in 2016, the Massapequa Philharmonic has established itself as Long Island’s premiere symphony orchestra through significant growth and acclaim.
“I am excited to continue on this journey with the Massapequa Philharmonic as its Music Director,” said Bernard. "It is truly inspiring to see both the orchestra and the Long Island residents thrive through our performances and collaborations. When successful, the Performing Arts are a symbiosis of artists, communities and audiences, and it has been a pleasure to work with the Massapequa Philharmonic musicians, board and our partners to deliver on this ideal. I am proud and delighted to continue to bring great music to Long Island as Music Director of the Massapequa Philharmonic." says Bernard.
"The Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra is thrilled to continue working with David Bernard as our Music Director", says Jennifer Trested, President of the Massapequa Philharmonic. "Under his gifted leadership, the Massapequa Philharmonic has become a premier orchestra on Long Island. David Bernard is a skillful musician and conductor, with a gift for fostering musical communities within the orchestra, throughout Massapequa, and across Long Island. We look forward to many years of insightful and artistic musical leadership and collaboration."
Under Maestro Bernard’s leadership, the orchestra has developed deep artistic partnerships with the Eglevsky Ballet, Nassau County Museum of Art, the Massapequa Schools and Long Island Choral Society, building its audiences and sponsor/donor base and solidifying its reputation in bringing cultural leadership to Long Island. Poised for its 40th anniversary season this Fall, the Massapequa Philharmonic kicks off a series of concerts as Resident Orchestra of the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts with “Rhapsody at 100: A Gershwin Celebration” in July.
“David Bernard has made a huge impact on culture on Long Island through his artistic vision and commitment to Long Island audiences,” says Tom Dunn, Executive Director of the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. “He has been an excellent partner as we prepare for the Massapequa Philharmonic joining us as our Resident Orchestra.”
“Maestro Bernard has a way of convincing you everything is possible! Our collaborations have been rewarding artistically, as well as for our dancers and audiences” says Maurice Brandon Curry, Executive Artistic Director of the Eglevsky Ballet. “Whether he is leading our annual production of The Nutcracker, providing chamber music for our special events or having us as guests for his innovative InsideOut concerts, you can always count on a unique audience experience.”
"David Bernard is the epitome of the kind of arts leader most needed today--a maestro whose high standards inspire all of us, a teacher of extraordinary originality, and a visionary who can unite thinkers in the visual arts, literature and music. Long Island is extremely fortunate to have a talent of his stature and gifts," says Charles A. Riley II, PhD, curator, author of several interdisciplinary books on music, art and the humanities, and former director of the Nassau County Museum of Art.
David Bernard is also Music Director of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony and founder and Director of InsideOut Concerts, Inc., a pioneer and innovator in the design, development and production of immersive classical music events, and is inventor of US Patent No. 11,673,070 entitled “Methods and Systems for Arranging Seats for Audience Members and Musicians.” Bernard has brought this approach to Massapequa Philharmonic events, impacting both seasoned concert goers and younger audiences.
“The Annual InsideOut Event Maestro Bernard leads for the entire third grade is an invaluable tool to not only draw in students to our music programs, but also gives them the gift of music that they will cherish for their entire lives” says Vincent Green, Director of Fine and Performing Arts, Massapequa Schools.
The Massapequa Philharmonic’s 40th Anniversary Season includes its concert series in Massapequa with programs of repertoire across three centuries with world class soloists, new works in partnership with the Long Island Composer’s Alliance, and a holiday celebration. As the Tilles Center’s Resident Orchestra, the Massapequa Philharmonic will perform an InsideOut event where the audience sits among the musicians, as well as a multimedia presentation “Out of this World” featuring Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” an interactive presentation by Dr. Jackie Faherty, Senior Scientist and Astrophysicist of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History.
For more information about the Massapequa Philharmonic’s 40th anniversary season, visit www.massphil.com.
ABOUT DAVID BERNARD
David Bernard serves as Music Director of the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, Massapequa Philharmonic and the Eglevsky Ballet. He is an active guest conductor, appearing with the Brooklyn Symphony, the Dubuque (IA) Symphony, the Greenwich (CT) Symphony, Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Island Symphony, the Litha Symphony, the South Shore Symphony and ensembles from the Manhattan School of Music. Called “the Johnny Appleseed of Classical Music” by Long Island Weekly, Maestro Bernard has helped the arts thrive through his innovative approaches to audience and orchestra building as music director and guest conductor.
As a conductor of ballet, David Bernard has worked with dancers from the Eglevsky Ballet, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet and the Miami City Ballet companies, including Jared Angle, Tyler Angle, Santiago Castañeda, Ji Young Chae, Jeffrey Cirio, Sarah Gavilla, Miriam Miller and Unity Phelan. Maestro Bernard is dedicated to teaching the craft of conducting through his acclaimed Advance Conducting Seminars.
David Bernard is the founder and Director of InsideOut Concerts, Inc., a pioneer and innovator in the design, development and production of immersive classical music events, and is inventor of US Patent No. 11,673,070 entitled “Methods and Systems for Arranging Seats for Audience Members and Musicians.” Bernard’s work using these methods in concerts and events resulted in not only increased tickets sales, but also increased organic new audience acquisition.
Bernard is the First Prize winner of The American Prize Orchestral Conducting Competition (professional division) 2019. In presenting this award, the panel of judges commented:
“Conducting from memory, David Bernard exhibits remarkable skill and considerable elan in a vibrant reading of Stravinsky "Rite of Spring." Not content with a cool, furrowed-brow approach to this music, his interpretation is alive to the nuances of color and, indeed, the dramatic arc, of this legendary masterwork. His is a considerable achievement by any standard.” —The American Prize Competition Panel
David Bernard’s critically acclaimed performances and recordings include Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Carnegie Hall (“ taught and dramatic” -Superconductor) , Stravinsky’s "The Rite of Spring" at Lincoln Center (“transcendent...vivid...expertly choreographed” -LucidCulture), a complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies praised for its “intensity, spontaneity, propulsive rhythm, textural clarity, dynamic control, and well-judged phrasing” by Fanfare magazine, Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique Symphony (“parts emerge like newly scrubbed details in a restored painting. Bernard and his musicians frequently shed new and valuable light on a thrice-familiar standard” -Gramophone) and an album of Dvorák’s Late Symphonies (“David Bernard treats each of the symphonies with alert and respectful acuity. He trusts Dvorák’s metronome markings, often to surprising and exciting effect, and makes sure the narratives unfold with seamless assurance. Bernard shapes the score with fine control, savouring its tender and invigorating material minus mannerism or bluster.” -Gramophone)
Devoted to the music of our own time, he has presented world premières of scores by Bruce Adolphe, Chris Caswell, John Mackey, Ted Rosenthal and Jake Runestad, and distinguished concert collaborators have included Anna Lee, Jeffrey Biegel, Carter Brey, David Chan, Catherine Cho, Adrian Daurov, Pedro Díaz, Edith Dowd, Stanley Drucker, Bart Feller, Zlatomir Fung, Ryu Goto, Whoopi Goldberg, Sirena Huang, Judith Ingolfsson, Yevgeny Kutik, Anna Lee, Jessica Lee, Kristin Lee, Maxim Lando, Daniela Liebman, Jon Manasse, Christopher Martin, Anthony McGill, Spencer Myer, Todd Phillips and Inbal Segev.
ABOUT THE MASSAPEQUA PHILHARMONIC
The Massapequa Philharmonic Orchestra brings cultural leadership and exciting concerts featuring World-Class soloists to Long Island’s audiences for over 36 years--an unprecedented achievement. Under the direction of renowned conductor, David Bernard, the Massapequa Philharmonic’ has built significant partnerships with the Nassau County Museum of Art and the Massapequa Public Schools, fulfilling a vision of outreach and cultural leadership across Long Island. Under Maestro Bernard, the orchestra has performed sold out shows at the Madison Theatre at Molloy College. Most recently, the Massapequa Philharmonic has begun serving as Orchestra-in-Residence at the Nassau County Museum of Art, producing video concert events and chamber music alongside the exhibits at the Museum.
Massapequa Philharmonic performances are made possible by the generous support of the Decentralization Program, a regent program of the NY State Council administered by the Huntington Arts Council, the Town of Oyster Bay Arts Council, the Hilaria and Alec Baldwin Foundation and the generous support from the Long Island Community.
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