Born in Valais, Charlotte Bernhard began learning the violin at the age of six at the Sion Conservatoire and distinguished herself at a very early age by winning several first prizes, including the Grand Prix Bach, a first prize at a contemporary music competition, and a first prize in Hungary. A multiple winner of the Swiss Youth Music Competition, she has won awards there as a soloist, in a duo and in a quartet. At the age of eleven, she performed Pugnani-Kreisler’s Prelude and Allegro with the St-Maurice Orchestra, and in 2025, Chausson’s Poème. She obtained her certificate with honours before continuing her training with Julien Zufferey, then joined the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne in 2022, in Svetlana Makarova’s class. At the same time, she founded the Brasero duo with accordionist Théodore Monnet, with whom she joined Les Concerts du Cœur in 2021 and explored a varied repertoire. Passionate about orchestral music, Charlotte was selected for the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra, where she played under the baton of renowned conductors such as James Gaffigan. There she received the Rotary Verbier Saint-Bernard Prize and was invited back for the 2022 edition of the prestigious festival.
In 2024, she was invited to serve as concertmaster of the Mahler Student Festival Orchestra, an orchestra bringing together young musicians from across Europe, with which she performed until 2026. She also joined the orchestra of the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades and took part in the 2024 and 2025 editions of the festival. She performed at the Easter Festival in Aix-en-Provence under the baton of Pierre Bleuse. Charlotte is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in concert performance with Svetlana Makarova.
