Aim for excellence! You can improve your skills with expert advice. Download the annotated sheet music of this masterclass for flute. Please note that this piece has been annotated in accordance to Philippe Bernold’s feedback and comments.

In 1987 he won First Prize in the Jean-Pierre Rampal International Competition in Paris.

Philippe Bernold began his musical education in Colmar, France, studying the flute and later composition and conducting under the tutelage of René Matter. Later, he attended the National Paris Conservatoire where his notable skill was recognized and earned him First Prize in flute. The following year at only 23-years-old, Bernold was appointed first flute at the Opéra National de Lyon. After winning First Prize at the Jean-Pierre Rampal International Competition in Paris, Bernold was able to launch a successful career as a soloist, performing with world famous artists such as: M. Rostropovitch, R. Capuçon, G. Opitz, and A. Tharaud; as well as with many widely-acclaimed orchestras including the Paris Orchestra, Manchester Hallé Orchestra, Tapiola Sinfonietta, National Orchestra of Lyon, Tokyo and Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, among many more. The accomplished flautist has been directed by highly esteemed conductors including: S. Bychkov, J. E. Gardiner, L. Maazel, K. Nagano, Sir Y. Menuhin, M. Inoué, and T. Koopman. He has performed in concert halls worldwide including but not limited to the Royal Festival Hall in London, Warsaw Philharmonic, the Seoul Art Center in South Korea, and Tchaïkovsky Conservatory in Moscow. Years later, Philippe Bernold returned to conducting after founding “Les Virtuoses de l’Opéra de Lyon.” After its formation, the ensemble was lauded for its high level of artistry. Since then, he has been invited to conduct concerts with such ensembles including the Sinfonia Varsovia, Bilbao, the National Opera Orchestra of Lyon, Baden Baden Philharmonie, Orchestre de chambre de Paris, Philharmonic Orchestra of Marseille, Kanazawa Ensemble (Japan), and more. Additionally, Philippe Bernold has made many accomplished recordings. Most  notably, Bernard was the recipient of the Grand Prix de l’Académie Charles Cros for his very first recording in 1989. Philippe Bernold is Professor of Chamber Music and flute at the National Paris Conservatoire.

François Borne (1840-1920) was a French flautist, composer, and professor. Though there is not much information available about his life, it is known that he was born in Toulouse, France. He likely worked closely with French pedagogue and flutist Paul Taffanel at some point in his life, but it is unclear whether that was as a student or a colleague. Borne worked as a flautist in the opera orchestra at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux and taught at the Conservatoire de Musique de Toulouse. He was born just as the modern Boehm flute was developed, allowing him to become its champion. He is attributed with making modifications to Boehm’s instrument in order to increase its technical possibilities, and he also wrote music that allowed performers to showcase the flute’s new capabilities. With more ease of technique and greater quality and volume of sound, more virtuosic and expressive music was available to the instrument. One such example is Borne’s Fantasie Brillante on Themes from Bizet's Carmen, which presents and varies some of the most popular music from Bizet’s famous opera. There is little else known about Borne’s life; nonetheless, flautists will always thank Borne for his contributions to both the instrument and to the instrument’s Romantic era repertoire.