BERNADENE BLAHA’s “brilliant command of the piano,” whether featured as recitalist, concerto soloist, or chamber musician, has been heralded in performances throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and Mexico. Recent highlights include her debut performances in Australia and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as an invitation to serve as a jury member at the prestigious 2010 Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Originally from Canada, Blaha first came to international attention as a prizewinner in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition; the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Masterplayers International Competition in Lugano, Switzerland; and the 11th Annual International Piano Competition in New York City. This latter award resulted in two highly acclaimed recital appearances, at Carnegie Recital Hall and the Lincoln Center Library. Soon afterward, Blaha was featured in the opening orchestra concert and a solo recital at the XXIX International Chopin Festival in Marianske Lazne, Czechoslovakia, followed by solo recitals at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and London, England.

A highly regarded chamber musician, Blaha has been a regular guest at international festivals including the Newport Festival, the Tucson Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Festival of the Sound, the Bard Festival, the Banff Festival of the Arts, the Round Top International Festival, and the Festival de San Miguel de Allende in Mexico. She has recorded for the CBC, Analekta, and Centaur labels.

Born in Brantford, Ontario, Blaha was a scholarship student of Boris Berlin at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and of Ania Dorfmann at the Juilliard School, from which she graduated with Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Her other mentors included Marek Jablonski, Menahem Pressler, Gyorgy Sebok, and Ludwig Stefanski.

Blaha currently resides in Los Angeles, and since 1993 has been a member of the keyboard faculty at the Thornton School of Music at USC.