Bernard van Rossum
Bernard van Rossum is an Amsterdam based saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator.
As well as playing his original music and touring regularly with “Bernard van Rossum Quartet” he is the leader of “The BvR Flamenco Big Band.”
With this orchestral Flamenco-Jazz ensemble he won the Meerjazz International Big Band Competition (2014), the Keep an Eye on Jazz Records competition (2015), released 2 critically acclaimed albums (Jaleo Holandes 2014/Luz de Luna 2017) and featured some of the world's top Flamenco artists like Antonio Serrano, Carles Benavent, David de Jacoba, José Quevedo Bolita, Karen Lugo among others.
Van Rossum's performances include world-class venues around the world like North Sea Jazz, Bimhuis, Flamenco Biennale, Rotterdam International, Capetown Jazz Festival, Jazz San Javier, FIJAZZ, Amersfoort Jazz, Grahamstown Jazz Festival (SA), Eurojazz Mexico among many others.
He is also an active member of the Jazz Education scene, currently teaching a range of subjects (Arranging, Theory, Ensemble, Jazz History) at Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Codarts Rotterdam, and teaching abroad in collaboration with Conservatories in Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Spain among other countries.
Bernard grew up in a multicultural setting, born and raised in Spain by an English mother and Dutch father. After a rocking adolescence playing drums, he discovered the saxophone and with it, the universe of jazz. After completing his Biology degree in the University of Edinburgh (Scotland), he established himself in Barcelona studying saxophone at "Taller de Musics. In 2007 he started a Bachelor degree in Jazz at the “Conservatory del Liceu”, later traveling to the USA's UNT (University of North Texas) and culminating his studies in Amsterdam Conservatorium, where under the guidance of Jasper Blom, Ferdinand Povel and Jure Hanstra, he graduated with a master degree in November 2013.
He is a founding member of the Catalan group "Lunar Project", with which he released "Supernova" (New Mood Jazz) and won the "Enderock" best new jazz project award 2008. He was selected multiple times for Amsterdam Conservatorium's “Arrangers Project”, with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw performing his compositions and arrangements in Amsterdam's Bimhuis, he also won the best soloist prize two years consecutively at the Meerjazz international Big band competition.
As well as a leader, Bernard is a versatile sideman, playing in projects ranging from Ska and Funk, to Flamenco-Jazz and South African music.