|
The Canadian conductor and pianist, Rolf Bertsch, began his musical studies on the violin and went on to study piano, cello, composition, jazz, and conducting. He studied at Phillips Academy. He also holds diplomas from many prestigious institutions including McGill University (Bachelor's degree with High Distinction in Piano Performance, Music Performance: September 1974-January 1978), the Mozarteum (Salzburg), the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec (Montréal), the Folkwang Hochschule (Essen, Germany), and Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts (September 1970-June 1974).
Laureate of numerous competitions, Rolf Bertsch served for many years as the pianist of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal (September 1980-January 2000) and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa (September 1983-July 1998). Additionally, as a solo pianist and also as conductor for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. His career as a pianist has included a solo performance with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal in New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall.
Hailed for his passion and natural musicianship, Rolf Bertsch has quickly become one of Canada’s leading conductors. Appointed Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal by Charles Dutoit in January 2000 and named Conductor in Residence for the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 seasons. He has built an impressive reputation as a conductor, pianist, communicator, teacher and adjudicator. His career spans a broad spectrum of musical experience and styles. Accordingly, it has taken him to Europe, Asia, and throughout North and South America.
Rolf Bertsch’s career took an important turn when he was named Resident Conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (July 1998-June 2001). During this highly successful tenure, he also served as Music Director of the Calgary Civic Symphony Orchestra (1998-2000) and Altius Brass. Since September 2008, he is again Music Director and Conductor of the Calgary Civic Symphony (since September 2008). He also worked regularly with Calgary’s chamber music ensemble Rosa Selvetica and at the University of Calgary and was Artistic Director at Instrumental Society of Calgary (June 2014-June 2021). He has conducted most of the orchestras in Canada including those of Montreal, Toronto, the National Arts Centre, Calgary, Edmonton, Québec, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Nova Scotia. While in those posts, he has collaborated with many of Canada’s and the world’s finest artists, including: Jon Kimura Parker, Marc Hervieux, Alessandra Marc, Daniel Binelli, André Laplante, Janina Fialkowska, Stewart Goodyear, Nicolaj Znaider, Marc-André Hamelin, Richard Raymond, Chantal Juillet, James Ehnes, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Tracy Dahl, Aline Kutan, Renaud Capuçon, Benjamin Schmid, Neil Cockburn, Diana Cohen, Los Romeros, and Kimy McLaren. While he excels in a wide range of repertoire, Rolf Bertsch has had particular success with the music of Strauss, Johannes Brahms, and Sergei Rachmaninov as well as with the French repertoire through his long collaboration with Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.
After an extensive performing career spanning three decades and over 3800 performances, Rolf Bertsch has for the last several years devoted much of his energies to teaching and mentoring. He has a large private studio and runs the internationally recognized Academy Piano program at the Mount Royal University Conservatory (since September 2008). In 2005, he was part of an international faculty at the Canton International Summer Music Academy in Guangzhou, China. He conducted the chamber orchestra at Ambrose University College from 2011-2013. He is receiving increasing recognition as an outstanding teacher and has been invited to teach, perform, and adjudicate in Xiamen, Beijing, and Shenzhen, China and at MusicFestPerugia in Italy in 2017 and 2018. In the last year, he worked at the Canada Council for the Arts as the Program Officer for the Professional Orchestra and Opera/Music Theatre programs. He oversaw the federal granting process for those communities.
Rolf Bertsch also works as a freelance conductor, pianist and arts consultant. In his free time, he enjoys golf, skiing, and fine food and wine. He currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. |
