About this Artist

BERNADENE BLAHA, whether featured as recitalist, concerto soloist, or chamber musician, has been heralded for her “brilliant command of the piano” in performances throughout North America, Europe, Australia, Asia, and Mexico. Piano and Keyboard magazine has reviewed her as “a pianist of integrity, with lovely sonorities and total clarity of line.” Highlights of recent seasons include return engagements at the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, Newport Music Festival, Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Series, and Worcester Chamber Music Society, as well as performances throughout the U.S., Canada, France, and Italy.

Originally from Canada, Blaha first came to international attention as a prizewinner in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition; the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Masterplayers International Competition, Lugano, Switzerland; and the 11th Annual International Piano Competition, New York City. This latter award resulted in two highly acclaimed recital appearances, at Carnegie Recital Hall and the Lincoln Center Library. Soon afterward, Blaha was featured in the opening orchestra concert and a solo recital at the XXIX International Chopin Festival in Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, followed by performances at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Bernadene Blaha is a founding member of the piano trio Latitude 41, formed in 2009 with violinist Livia Sohn and cellist Luigi Piovano. Their debut CD of Schubert’s monumental Trio in E-flat major and his Notturno was released in 2011 on the Eloquentia label to rave reviews. The group followed this success with a recording of the Saint-Saëns Trios and has a forthcoming CD featuring the Brahms Trios. Blaha’s discography also includes recordings for the CBC, Centaur, and Analekta labels.

Also in demand as a teacher, adjudicator, and clinician, Blaha has received the National Arts Foundation’s Outstanding Teacher Recognition Award. She has been invited to serve on the jury of the Gina Bachauer International Artist Piano Competition, Virginia Waring International Competition, and the 2015 International E-Competition.

Currently residing in Los Angeles, Blaha has been a member of the keyboard faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music since 1993, where she is an Associate Professor.