Overview
joined the as president and CEO in 2015.
She previously served as:
- executive director and CEO of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston
- chief of staff, project and orchestra manager for the Philadelphia Orchestra
- orchestra manager&Բ;ڴǰ t Cleveland Oٰ, and
- president&Բ;Ի CEO of the Canton (Ohio) Symphony Oٰ.
Bernard began her career in orchestra management in 1996, having won a prestigious fellowship with the with residencies at the New York Philharmonic and Minnesota Oٰ.
Before joining the orchestra world, Bernard practiced corporate and tax law in Canada and is a member of the Québec Bar Association. A Québec native of Belgian descent, she studied communications, media, and literature at Jean-de-Brébeuf College and law at the University of Montréal. She holds a ٱ’s‾&Բ;in arts management from Concordia University (Montreal).
Since Bernard began her tenure, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra completed a five-year strategic plan and experienced significant increases in attendance and ticket revenue, and in earned and contributed revenue. Under her leadership, the orchestra is embracing a period of great momentum with the stability of new orchestra and stagehand contracts, the expansion of important regional partnerships, groundbreaking artistic initiatives and the pursuit of new media opportunities to enhance the orchestra’s recording and broadcast catalog.
At the , Bernard led the organization through an important artistic and financial revival as it prepared to celebrate its 200th anniversary. The society became an essential educational provider and partner to youth and music eܳٴǰ&Բ;in Massachusetts, and a national leader in e&Բ;music. She doubled operational budgets and endowments and oversaw the most ambitious capital&Բ;貹 in t oԾپDz’s&Բ;history.
Bernard is among the distinguished women serving on the Widener Global Leaders Program advisory board at 鶹ƽ State University’s W. Frank Barton School of Business and member of the . She serves on the boards of United Way of Greater St. Louis, the and Grand Center Inc. She serves on the and on the Artist&Բ;ʰԳٲپDz Sdzٲ&Բ;Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Symphony, Opera and Ballet Employers Electronic Media Association.
In 2016, she received St. Louis&Բ;ѲԱ’s A-List Award for “Arts Leader”&Բ;and was among St. Louis Business Journal’s “.”&Բ;