BERND GRADWOHL

Bernd Gardwohl is an Austrian Conductor, a Violonist and a Composer. Born in 1969 into a family of musician in Eisenstadt, the city of Haydn, he started his musical education with violin and piano lessons at the age of four. His admission at the "Joseph Haydn Konservatorium" at the age of seven, was followed the same year by a first appearence as a violin soloist with an orchestra in the "Empire Saal" at the Esterházy Palace. Between 1977 and 1994, numerous First Prizes in Violin and Piano in "Jugend Musiziert" competitions, attested his natural musical versatility, as did at the age of ten, his winning of the composition prize in an international competion in Sofia (Bulgaria), with a solo piano concert performance that was live broadcast in radio and TV.

Bernd Gradwohl studied violin at the University of Graz (Oberschützen) and at the Music University of Vienna followed by chamber music studies at the "Academia Musicale Chigiana" with the "Trio di Trieste", where he graduated with excellence.

Conducting student of the Hungarian conductor and pianist Laszlo Szelenyi; composition studies with Professor Gertrude Bara, and student of the conductor and violinist Ola Rudner (graduate of Master Classes of Sandor Végh). Conducting tuition with Carlos Kleiber in Munich.

Concerts as conductor, instrumental soloist and composer in various country including Austria, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, Belgium, Bulgaria, Mexico and Korea. Chamber music concerts with members of the "Vienna Philharmonic", the "Vienna Symphony", the "Camerata Salzburg", the "Orchestra of Europe" and also the "Soloists of the Wiener Kammerorchester". From 2000 to 2005 Chief conductor of the Seoul Academy Ensemble in Seoul (South Korea). 2003 Founded the "NCC" Chamber Orchestra.

2006 Live recording of the whole "Bach sonatas and Partitas" by memory and in a single evening performance

2007 - founded "Die SchlossCapelle" chamber orchestra, initially under the name Ncc, which reunites international Soloists and chamber musicians. ”An orchestra which has played into the heart of its audience, with youthful swing and technical perfection." (quote ORF) - was awarded "Musician of the Year" for the 40th jubilee of the Austrian classical broadcast oe1. The award honoured his musical versatility, namely, his Interpretation of the Haydn’s symphonies as a conductor, his live recording of all Bach Sonatas and Partitas, and his work as a composer.

2011 Vienna premiere of "French Songs" in the Volkstheatre; a song cycle composed by Bernd Gradwohl for voice and piano. Some of the songs initially written for orchestral instrumentation, were performed for the first time in the Haydn haal with the mezzo-soprano Maya Berlec and the SchlossCapelle Chamber Orchestra. The Event - which received an enthusiastic response from the audience - was broadcast on Austrian national television (ORF) and Austrian classical radio (Oe1) for its 40 years jubileum as part of a programm presenting the different aspects of Bernd Gradwohl´s work as a composer, a conductor and violonist.

2013 Haydn in the Pub: "a lunacy that works!" The concept first created by the "Great Evening productions" in London, brings Haydn music, to places where you would least expect to hear it, close to the poeple where it belongs with a standing ovation respond from experts and first time Haydn music listeners. All six virtuose Haydn sonatas for violin and viola are played with: Bernd Gradwohl at the violin, Rushen Gunes (former solo viola player of the London Philharmonic Orchestra) at the viola and Andrew Hobday (actor) for "niceties and narration" related to Haydn´s life.

2015 "Haydn in the Pub" a film by Elisabeth Blanchet, and the first part of a TV documentary under the title "The Journey of a Musikant". 2017 - Composition and presentation of his string quartet work "das ist immer gewesen" with a first performance at the Trigonal festival in Maria Saal , with Fritz kircher on the first violin, Werner Neugenauer on the second violin, Firmian Lermer on the viola and Detlef Mielke on the violoncello - Composition of "Die Alpensuite" (Six Bagatelles for piano and violin)

2018 Composition and Vienna premiere of the "Original Wiener Heurigensonate", a 2 hours violin solo program operetta, where polkas, fugas, canons and marchs, meet in a mixture of virtuosity and humoristic poetry supported by Texts of the grinzig poet Ernst A.Weinstein

2020-2021 Composition of "Stories of Vienna" 6 Sonatas for Violin solo