organ concert: Bernard Bender

Bernard Bender was born in Alsace. His early musical studies with his father, Antoine Bender, titular of the Schwenkedel organ in Marienthal, led to a diploma as liturgical organist from the Ecole d'Orgue Diocésaine d'Alsace, in 1978.

He continued his instrumental studies at the CNR de Strasbourg in the classes of Marc Schaeffer and Pierre Vidal (obtaining a 1st medal in Pierre Vidal's class in 1987), before embarking on an advanced cycle with Pierre Perdigon at the CNR de Grenoble:
interpretation and improvisation (1st prize in 1990).
He has taken part in organ academies in Luxembourg with Bernard Lagacé, and in Saint-Bertrand de Comminges with Michel Chapuis.

He also took writing classes with Pierre-Yves Meugé and Odile Charvet at the CNR in Strasbourg, and completed his theoretical studies at the Faculty of Musicology: his Maîtrise thesis focused on the organ works of Jehan Titelouze.
His Maîtrise in musicology led him to take the agrégation in music education and choral singing.