David & Nina Bernat Duo - Korea Debut Recital

The 2026 Young Virtuoso Series features a duo recital by violinist David Bernat and double bassist Nina Bernat. Born to a Korean mother and a Polish father, the sibling artists have each built international careers on stages around the world.

A member of the Formosa String Quartet, David has appeared at major concert venues including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Nina Bernat, recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, serves on the faculty of Stony Brook University.

This performance marks David and Nina’s debut recital in Korea.

■ PROGRAM

Reinhold Gliere - 8 Pieces, Op. 39 for Violin and Cello (arr. for Violin and Double Bass)
Isang Yun - Together for Violin and Double Bass
R. Schumann - Adagio and Allegro Op. 70
Krzysztof Penderecki - Duo Concertante for Violin and Double Bass
Guillaume Connesson - Disco Toccata (arr. Nina/David Bernat)
Intermission
J. S. Bach - Selections from The Inventions
F. P. Schubert - Rondo for Violin and Piano in B Minor Op. 70, D. 895
Shinuh Lee - 〈Seomjib-agi〉 for Double Bass and Piano
Giovanni Bottesini - Gran Duo Concertante for Violin and Double Bass

*The programs are subject to change.

■ ARTISTS

David Bernat violin
David Bernat is recognized for his deeply personal musical voice and his ability to connect with diverse audiences. He leads a multifaceted career as a performer, educator, and artistic director. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Brookline, Fort Dodge, and Waterloo-Cedar Falls symphonies, and has performed throughout the USA, Europe, and China. A dedicated chamber musician, Bernat is the violinist of the Formosa String Quartet, ensemble-in-residence at the University of Houston Moores School of Music and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Recent engagements include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Tanglewood with the New Fromm Players, Marlboro Music Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival and Red Barn Chamber Music in Iowa City, and radio appearances on the BBC Radio 3 program “In Tune” and WQXR’s Greene Space.

A passionate advocate for contemporary music, David has enjoyed close collaborations with distinguished composers Thomas Ades, John Adams, John Harbison, Augusta Read Thomas, Fred Lerdahl, and George Walker. Recent projects include the commission of a new work for mixed quintet, Stretched (2022) by New York based composer Hannah Ishizaki and the premiere of Lullaby (2023) by Yike Zhang.?

David is the founder and Artistic Director of the Grace Note Farm Music Festival in Rhode Island. He plays on a violin made by Samuel Zygmuntowicz in 1984. A graduate of the New England Conservatory, he is currently a C.V. Starr Doctoral Fellow at the Juilliard School.

Nina Berant double bass
American double bassist Nina Bernat, acclaimed for her interpretive maturity, 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 was awarded both the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and first prize at the Concert Artists Guild Elmaleh Competition. Her recent accolades also include top prizes at the Barbash J.S. Bach String Competition, Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Juilliard Double Bass Competition, and the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition. She has given New York recital debuts at Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall, and has appeared as soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra and Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra.

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 Andras Schiff and Osmo Vanska.

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, Verbier Festival, Music@Menlo and Chamber Music Northwest.

Nina performs on an instrument passed down from her father, Mark Bernat, attributed to Guadagnini. She currently serves on the faculty of Stony Brook University.