Jean-Michel Bernard

Birthday: 23 November 1961, France

Jean-Michel Bernard began playing the piano at the age of two. When he was 14, he received first place at the Bordeaux Conservatory and later graduated from the Paris 'Ecole Normale de Musique� ...Show More

Jean-Michel Bernard began playing the piano at the age of two. When he was 14, he received first place at the Bordeaux Conservatory and later graduated from the Paris 'Ecole Normale de Musique'. At 19, he recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, while also pursuing a career as a jazz musician, performing with prominent Jazz artists such as Wild Bill Davis, Jimmy Woode and Eddie Davis. His career as a composer began with animated films, then as musical director of the successful radio show « L'Oreille en Coin » on National Pubic Radio France Inter from 1987 to 1991. Collaborators include Philip Kaufman, Lalo Schifrin, Ennio Morricone, Claude Bolling, and many more. In 2000, he performed with the Ray Charles Quartet on the European and Australian tours. He frequently works with director Michel Gondry. In 2000, he composed songs for the film Human Nature written by Charlie Kaufman and interpreted by Patricia Arquette. In 2006, he scored the film The Science of Sleep, which screened at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals. He also had a cameo as a music-loving police man. He was nominated for the World Soundtrack Awards in 2007 and won the France Musique/UCMF award at the Cannes Film Festival the same year. His solo piano album Message to Ray was released in November 2005 on Opus Millesime, and in partnership with National Public Radio France Musique. Felix W. Sportis from Jazz Hot wrote about the album: « Among the tribute albums to the Genius that have been released or will be, this is the very special one».In 2008 he scored the music for Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind , Cash by Eric Besnard, and L'Emmerdeur by Francis Veber. The same day Be Kind Rewind was shown at Sundance Festival, Jean-Michel Bernard performed alongside rapper/singer Mos Def and Gondry, an avid drummer. The following year, the Cannes Film Festival invited him to represent France in the film music concert program. He also receives an award for his achievement outside of his native country from the European Union of Film Music Composers (UCMF). HBO also choses him to elaborate the sound design of the channel and for the website.In 2010 he collaborated with French actress and director Fanny Ardant on her film Chimères Absentes. In 2011, he composed the music of Paris-Manhattan by Sophie Lellouche starring Woody Allen, Anne Giafferi's movie Qui a envie d'être aime ? , Eric Lavaine's Bienvenue à Bord . He also worked on Academy award winning Hugo by Martin Scorsese. In this backstory and primary features of Georges Meliès'life, Jean-Michel Bernard manages to capture Paris atmosphere of the early 1900s, recording over 10 songs for the dance scenes with accordion music.In 2013, he collaborated again with Fanny Ardant for her movie Cadences Obstinees starring Gerard Depardieu. He also scored the music of Love Punch starring Pierce Brosnan and Emma Thompson. He has also participated in a series of concerts with Michel Gondry for the Film Factory at the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris. JMB has conducted master classes at Cannes Film Festivals and in various others in Montreal, Angers, La Rochelle, and more recently in Aubagne, where he preformed a live version of Jazz For Dogs (Cristal Records), an album co-created with Kimiko Ono and featuring numerous prestigious guests like Charles Papasoff, Philippe Chayeb and Laurent Korcia.In 2014, Jean-Michel Bernard began teaching classes at the Paris Conservatory, and in November, three major Festivals will have him as guest of honor: Audi Talent Awards in Paris, Braunschweig Festival, and Cologne Soundtrack Festival.In 2015, he'll score "Ange et Gabrielle" by Anne Giafferi at Abbey Road Studios with the LSO in London, and will be the guest of The Tenerife film festival. Hide