Bernard van Rossum is tenor and soprano saxophone player, composer, arranger and educator. He leads the “Bernard van Rossum Quartet” recently releasing the album “Trampoline”, alongside longstanding bandmates Xavi Torres (piano), Marco Zenini (bass) and Jaon Terol (drums).
He also leads, directs, composes and arranges for the award-winning “BvR Flamenco Big Band”. This orchestral Flamenco-Jazz ensemble has released 3 critically acclaimed albums and has featured some of the world's top Flamenco artists, among them Antonio Serrano, Carles Benavent, David de Jacoba, José Quevedo “Bolita” and Karen Lugo.
Bernard is an active member of the Jazz Education scene, teaching a range of subjects (arranging, theory, ensemble) at Conservatorium van Amsterdam and Codarts Rotterdam, as well as guest teaching abroad at institutions like Musikene (Euskadi), Conservatori Superior de les Illes Balears (Mallorca) and Universidad de las Artes y las Ciencias de Chiapas (Mexico). In addition to arranging his own music, he is an arranger for other ensembles like Nederlands Blazers ensemble or the Ricciotti Ensemble. He is also a versatile sideman playing in acclaimed projects like the Vuma Levin Quintet, Sam Newbould Quintet or Vernon Chatlein group.
His composing and arranging have earned him various accolades, among the most recent the "Rogier van Otterloo award 2022", "Concurso de arreglos de big band SGAE 2022" and the “Canarias Big Band Composition Contest 2021”.
With the BvR Flamenco Big Band he also won the Meerjazz International Big Band competition in 2014 as well as the best soloist prize and the Keep an Eye on Jazz “Records” award in 2015.
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 at 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 “Conservatori del Liceu”, later traveling to UNT (University of North Texas) and culminating his studies at Amsterdam Conservatorium, where under the guidance of Jasper Blom, Ferdinand Povel and Jurre Haanstra, he graduated with a Bachelor degree in 2011 and Master degree in 2013.
During his time in Barcelona, he was 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.
Van Rossum's performances include venues and festivals around the world like North Sea Jazz, Bimhuis, Flamenco Biennale, Eurojazz Mexico, Capetown Jazz Festival, Festival Internacional Jazz de San Javier, Ubud Jazz Festival Indonesia, Rotterdam International, Festival Internacional de Jazz de Alicante, Amersfoort Jazz, Grahamstown Jazz Festival (SA) among many others.