American double bassist Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her refined artistry, expressive depth and technical clarity, has carved out a distinctive career as a soloist, redefining the role of her instrument on the world stage. She was hailed by the Star Tribune as a “standout” for her recent concerto debut with the Minnesota Orchestra, praising her performance as “exhilarating, lovely and lyrical… technically precise and impressively emotive.”
In 2023, Nina became the only female bassist to receive the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as the first prize in the Concert Artists Guild Elmaleh Competition. She is also the only bassist to have won the Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition. She has made New York recital debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall, and has performed at major venues including Davies Symphony Hall and Alice Tully Hall. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra, Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra, and Long Island Symphony. Her performances have also been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today and her debut album “Crossroads” is to be released in Fall 2026.
Widely recognized for her compelling presence in chamber music settings, Nina is a member of the Bowers Program of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and has appeared at renowned festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Chamber Music Northwest, Tippet Rise, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival. She maintains an ongoing collaboration with bassoonist, Eleni Katz, in their groundbreaking duo, Basso Vox.
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ABOUT
Engaged in all aspects of double bass performance, she has been invited to perform as guest principal bassist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Oslo Philharmonic, serving under the batons of conductors such as András Schiff and Osmo Vänskä. She can also be heard performing regularly as principal bass of both Houston-based chamber orchestra, ROCO, and New York City-based chamber orchestra Sejong Soloists.
She is quickly becoming a sought-after pedagogue, having given masterclasses around the world and being a featured guest at Penn State Bass Day, the Pittsburgh Bass Symposium, Symposium for Women and Non-Binary Bassists, and the International Society of Bassists Convention. At the age of 24, she was appointed to the faculty of Stony Brook University.
Unwilling to be bound by the pre-existing bass literature, Nina is a prolific transcriber. Her transcriptions include Prokofiev’s Five Melodies, Reena Esmail’s “Perhaps” and Fauré Cello Sonata No. 2, just to name a few. Her role in expanding the instrument’s chamber music repertoire has involved numerous commissions by such composers as Shinuh Lee, Lara Poe and Alistair Coleman,
Nina performs on an instrument passed down from her father, Mark Bernat, attributed to Guadagnini.