Marco Bernardo

Origin

São Paulo, SP

Years Active

1990

Genres

choro, MPB, instrumental, classical music

Instruments

piano, keyboards, vocals

Biography

Born in São Paulo, Marco Bernardo is a renowned Brazilian pianist, singer, arranger, conductor, composer, and researcher. Coming from a family with a strong musical tradition, he is the nephew of violinist Ciccillo and classical guitarist Arthur Bernardo, one of the founders of the group Demônios da Garoa, with whom he would actively collaborate in the late 1990s. With a degree in Art Education with a Specialization in Music from the School of Communications and Arts of the University of São Paulo, he has built a solid career in both classical and popular realms, working as a conductor, musical director, and accompanist for major names in the national scene.

His declared passion for choro led him to develop fundamental research, preservation, and dissemination work regarding Brazilian musical memory. With the support of a Vitae Fellowship, he conducted biographical and musical surveys that resulted in the publication of essential books on Nabor Pires Camargo and Waldir Azevedo. Furthermore, his discography stands out for ambitious projects, such as the recording of the complete solo piano choros of Radamés Gnattali, albums dedicated to the repertoire of cavaquinho player Canhotinho, and the acclaimed series "Pianismos do Brasil," carried out in partnership with the Instituto Piano Brasileiro and released by the Kuarup record label.

As a researcher and instrumentalist, Marco Bernardo has established himself as one of the greatest references in the appreciation of popular piano and choro in Brazil. Throughout his career, he has shared stages and projects with major exponents of our music, recording and rescuing the work of historical composers such as Sinhô, Ary Barroso, Hekel Tavares, and Carolina Cardoso de Menezes. His technical rigor combined with interpretive sensitivity secures a prominent place for him in the preservation of Brazilian musical heritage.

Discography

• Christmas Songs (1997)
• Canções de Ninar For Babies (1998)
• Boa Noite For Babies (1998)
• Cirandinha - Cantigas de Roda For Babies (1998)
• Natal for Babies (1998)
• Homenagem a Canhotinho (2000)
• Encores (2002)
• O Cancionista (2007)
• Recordações de Itirapina (2010)
• Radamés Gnattali - Integral dos Choros para Piano Solo (2014)
• O Pioneiro Chorão (2019)
• Um Chorinho com Amor (2019)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 2 - Nabor Pires Camargo (2022)
• Pianismos do Brasil Vol. 1 - Sinhô (2022)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 6 - Costinha (2023)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 5 - Ary Barroso (2023)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 4 (Aurelio Cavalcanti) (2023)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 3 - Lina Pesce (2023)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 8 - Augusto Vasseur (2024)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 7 - Hekel Tavares (2024)
• Brazil on Two Pianos (2025)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 9 - Carolina Cardoso de Menezes (2025)
• Pianismos do Brasil - Vol. 10 - Lamartine Babo (2026)