Biography

Bernardo Alviz (b. 1987) is a composer and performer from Bogota, Colombia. Through his career as a double bassist, he has explored the role of the instrument from orchestral music to electric performances with metal distortion and music written specifically for AI. After enduring an injury to his right wrist, he developed his music for left-hand only which became the subject of his doctoral research. His music centres around the physicality in performance. 

As a double bassist, Bernardo was a scholarship recipient of the orchestra academy of the Komische Oper Berlin (2013-2014) and the Staatskapelle Berlin (2014-2016) as well as a regular guest with world leading orchestras including the Staatskapelle Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphony Orchester Berlin, Netherlands Philharmonic and Konzerthaus Orchester Berlin, among others. He has performed with some of the world’s leading conductors and soloists such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Gustavo Dudamel, Antonio Pappano, Pablo Heras Casado, Lahav Shani, Marta Argerich, Pekka Kussisto, Hakan Hardenberg, George Benjamin, Lisa Batiashvili, Renaud Capucon, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Sol Gabetta.

Bernardo is a passionate performer of contemporary music and has performed in some of the most renowned festivals including the Lucerne festival in 2017 with Heinz Holliger and Mathias Pintcher as chief conductors; as principal bass with the Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop at the Donaueschingen Musiktagen in 2017 as well as at the Rainy Days music festival in Luxembourg 2014; as principal bass of the Staatskapelle Berlin during the Infektio! Music festival in Berlin in 2016; and as principal bass with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the Malmo International Chamber music festival 2016 in Sweden.

Bernardo is committed to fostering excellence through education, teaching and collaborating in some of the best primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Australia such as Brisbane Girls Grammar School, Somerville House, St. Margaret's Anglican School, St. Peter's Lutheran College, Clayfield College, St. Joseph's College, The University of Queensland, Griffith University Conservatorium of Music, Queensland Youth Orchestras, Gold Coast Youth Orchestras and the Australian Youth Orchestra. 

Bernardo holds a Bachelor's degree from the Universidad Javeriana in Bogota, where he studied under double bassist Alexandr Sanko. He further pursued his education, obtaining a Bachelor's and Master's degree from the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, Germany. During his time in Berlin, he studied double bass with Janne Saksala, Axel Scherka, Esko Laine, Otto Tolonen, and Klaus Stoll. Additionally, he earned a PhD in composition/performance from the University of Queensland in Australia.

Bernardo performs on a Benedict Puglisi double bass from 2011 made in Melbourne, Australia, as well as a Yamaha SLB300 running through his favourite Boss ME80.