Bernat Santacana Hervada – Viola

Founding member of the Atenea Quartet.

Born in 1998 in Barcelona, he began studying violin with Professor Núria Rotllan in Sallent. Later on he coursed his musical studies at the Conservatori de Música de Manresa with Professor Jordi Coll. He completed his Bachelor’s degree at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC), where he studied both violin with Helena Satué and viola with Jonathan Brown (Cuarteto Casals). In 2022, he obtained his Master’s degree in Viola Performance at the Hochschule für Musik Basel under Silvia Simionescu guidance.

Additionally, he has pursued a Master’s Degree specialized in Chamber Music Performance with Professors Rainer Schmidt, Anton Kernjak, Anna Gebert and also Silvia Simionescu.

Driven by a strong interest in musical research and historical informed performance, he pursued a Master’s Degree in Musical Research at the Universitat Internacional de Valencia and a Minor Degree in Baroque Performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis. He is particularly interested in how historically informed performance can serve as a genuine and personal means to enrich artistic expression.

He has performed all over Europe with the Atenea Quartet and also has taken part in a wide range of diverse chamber music formations in festivals such as the Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove and the Pòdium de Matadapera. Bernat has also been invited to collaborated with professional orchestras such as the Orquestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu and the Franz Schubert Filharmonia.

Curious and reflective by nature, he combines his work as a performer with an ongoing exploration of historical performance praxis, musicological research, and creative collaboration in diverse projects.