Quartetto Bernardini

Quartetto Bernardini was founded in 2018 with the purpose of exploring the repertoire for oboe, violin, viola and cello written around the year 1800. Quartetto Bernardini enjoys studying and applying technical and musical conventions related to the periods and the styles of the music they play. Quartetto Bernardini makes use of historical instruments, such as two-keyed oboe, classical and early romantic bows, gut strings and historical set-up for the string instruments.

In 2019 Quartetto Bernardini has toured extensively in Italy, Austria and Germany.

Alfredo Bernardini – oboe

Italian born Alfredo Bernardini studied early music in the Netherlands, where he graduated in 1987.
He has since performed all over the world as a member of ensembles such as Hesperion XX, Le Concert des Nations, La Petite Bande, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, The English Concert, Bach Collegium Japan and others. He has played in more than 100 recordings. In 1989 he co-founded together with the brothers Paolo and Alberto Grazzi the ensemble ZEFIRO, which has been awarded important international prizes.
He has been a guest director of baroque orchestras all over Europe, in Canada, Australia, Venezuela, Cuba  Israel and with the European Union Baroque Orchestra. After teaching at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the ESMUC of Barcelona, he is currently professor at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg.

Cecilia Bernardini – violin

Dutch–Italian Cecilia Bernardini first studied modern violin in Amsterdam and London, after which she specialized in period performance under the guidance of Lucy van Dael.
Since 2012 she was the leader of the Dunedin Consort, and she currently holds that position with Ensemble Pygmalion in Paris and B’Rock in Gent.
She has led/directed modern and period instrument ensembles including Ensemble Zefiro, Arcangelo, Vox Luminis, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Barokkanerne, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg.
Cecilia has performed in many prestigious concert halls all over the world, as a director, leader, chamber musician and soloist, and has recorded extensively for labels such as Arcana, Linn Records, BIS and Erato.
A keen chamber musician, she forms a duo with fortepianist Keiko Shichijo and is a member of the Trio Marie Soldat and the Quartetto Bernardini.  Cecilia plays a 1643 Nicolo Amati violin kindly loaned by the Netherlands Music Instrument Foundation.

Simone von Rahden – viola

Simone von Rahden enjoys a versatile career as a chamber musician, soloist, orchestral musician and teacher. She studied viola with Wolfram Christ at the Musikhochschule Freiburg and with Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ Berlin, where she now holds a teaching position. She has performed in the most prestigious halls around the world with outstanding orchestras such as the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Orchestra Mozart of Bologna, Spira mirabilis, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as well as with famous ensembles specializing in historical performance such as Dunedin Consort and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, where she currently holds the position of Principal Viola. She is also a member of the string quintet “Spunicunifait”. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Baden-Badener Philharmonie, the Philharmonie Südwestfalen, the Hamburger Camerata, „El Teatre Instrumental“ Barcelona, the English Haydn Orchestra and the WDR Smyphony Orchestra Cologne.

Marcus van den Munckhof – cello

Marcus van den Munckhof is a performer of both modern and baroque cello. During his studies he discovered his passion for chamber music. As a former member of the Cello Octet Amsterdam, he has played many world premieres and collaborated with composers such as Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass.In recent years, Marcus has developed a keen interest in historical performance practice. Historical research and its realization stimulates him to look for projects and musicians who share the same approach.
With his Trio Marie Soldat Marcus immerses himself in the performance practice of the 19th century. With his Trio d’Encore, Marcus focuses on playing the salon pieces that were very popular at the beginning of the 20th century. He is frequently invited by groups such as Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Dunedin Consort, Zefiro Ensemble, Jupiter Ensemble and Ensemble Marsyas.
Marcus has always been passionate about the art of bowmaking and learned this craft from Andreas Grütter and Luis Emilio Rodriquez.