Laureate of numerous competitions including the Canadian Music Competition, Rolf Bertsch served for many years as pianist of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, as well as solo pianist for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. Highlights of his career as pianist have included a number of solo appearances with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the direction of Charles Dutoit, most notably in Carnegie Hall in 1997, as well as performances at the chamber music festivals in Saratoga and Ottawa. Hailed for his passion and natural musicianship by critics, audiences, and musicians alike, Rolf Bertsch has also become one of Canada’s leading conductors. Appointed Assistant Conductor of the OSM 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 conductor, pianist, communicator, teacher and adjudicator. His career has spanned a wide spectrum of musical experience and styles and has taken him to Europe, the Orient, and throughout North and South America. Mr. Bertsch began his musical studies on the violin and went on to study piano, cello, composition, jazz, and conducting with such teachers as Leon Fleisher, Dorothy Morton, Armas Maiste, James Dick, Helena Costa, Uri Mayer, Raffi Armenian, and Gustav Meier. In his years in Montréal and Calgary he worked extensively with Charles Dutoit and Hans Graf as well as many visiting artists. He holds diplomas from a number of prestigious institutions including McGill University, the Mozarteum (Salzburg), the Conservatoire de musique du Québec (Montréal), the Folkwang Hochschule (Essen, Germany), and Phillips Academy (Andover, Massachusetts). Rolf Bertsch has conducted most of the orchestras in Canada including those of Montréal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Québec, Kitchener-Waterloo, and Nova Scotia. He notably directed the OSM in the closing concert of Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques festival in 2003.
Performer (piano)