Biography

Bernardo Alviz (b. 1987) is a composer and performer from Bogotá, Colombia. Throughout his career

as a double bassist, he has explored the instrument’s role across various settings, from orchestral

music to electric performances with metal distortion. After sustaining an injury to his right wrist, he

developed music for left-hand-only performance, which became the focus of his doctoral research.

Bernardo’s compositions have been performed by renowned ensembles and soloists in Australia,

earning acclaim for their blend of contrasting musical textures. His works have been premiered by

Ensemble Q, the Conservatorium Contemporary Collective of Griffith University, principal players of

the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Dots and Loops, and celebrated musicians such as Phoebe

Russell, Harry Bennetts, Paul Dean, among others. His music has also been featured in broadcasts on 4ZZZ’s Rusted

Satellites and programmed for the Australian Chamber Music Festival in 2025.

His first two releases, Lienzos y Recuerdos EP and Esquirlas Vol. 1 EP, featuring guest performances

by Harry Bennetts and Phoebe Russell, tell a story of migration and integration. Blending

soundscapes from Colombian cumbia, punk, classical tradition, and electronic violence.

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). He has been a regular guest with

world-leading orchestras, including the Staatskapelle Berlin, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Queensland

Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra,

and Konzerthausorchester Berlin, among others. He has performed with some of the world’s most

renowned conductors and soloists, including Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Gustavo Dudamel,

Antonio Pappano, Pablo Heras-Casado, Lahav Shani, Martha Argerich, Pekka Kuusisto, Håkan

Hardenberger, George Benjamin, Lisa Batiashvili, Renaud Capuçon, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, and Sol

Gabetta.

A passionate performer of contemporary music, Bernardo has appeared at some of the world’s leading

festivals. In 2017, he performed at the Lucerne Festival under Heinz Holliger and Matthias Pintscher.

He also served as principal bass with Solistenensemble Kaleidoskop at the Donaueschinger Musiktage

in 2017, at the Rainy Days Festival in Luxembourg (2014), and with the Staatskapelle Berlin during

the Infektion! Festival in Berlin (2016). Additionally, he was principal bass with the Mahler Chamber

Orchestra at the Malmö International Chamber Music Festival (2016) in Sweden.

Bernardo is committed to fostering excellence through education, teaching and collaborating with

leading primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in Australia. He has worked with 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 Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, where he studied under

double bassist Alexandr Sanko. He later obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the

Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, Germany, studying with Janne Saksala, Axel Scherka,

Esko Laine, Otto Tolonen, and Klaus Stoll. He also earned a PhD in composition and performance

from the University of Queensland in Australia.