Sibbi Bernhardsson

Icelandic violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson is internationally recognized as a chamber musician, soloist, and educator. He performed for 17 years as a member of the Pacifica Quartet, earning a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance, Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year honors, and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. With the quartet, he appeared in more than 90 concerts annually at many of the world’s leading venues, including Wigmore Hall, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Carnegie Hall.

Bernhardsson has collaborated with distinguished artists including Menahem Pressler, Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, and members of the Emerson, Guarneri, and Cleveland quartets, and has performed at major festivals such as the Edinburgh Festival, Ravinia, and Music@Menlo. He has appeared as soloist with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra, among others, and is featured on 16 recordings with the Pacifica Quartet.

A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory, Bernhardsson previously served on the faculties of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and Oberlin Conservatory. An active teacher and artistic leader, he now joins the Cleveland Institute of Music as Professor of Violin.

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Students may apply to study with Professor Bernhardsson through an expedited application process here. Students accepted into new Conservatory degree programs with these teachers will receive a minimum guaranteed scholarship award of $30,000 for the 2026-27 school year.