Bernard Vallandingham
Bernard Vallandingham began his musical training at the age of nine years on the violin. At fourteen he was selected to be a member of the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship program at the Kennedy Center, where he continued violin instruction and began conducting orchestral groups. He is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and Manhattan School of Music, where he studied violin and viola along with composition, conducting and music history. Bernard performs chamber and solo concerts regularly in the Southern Maryland area. Bernard has previously held other various professional positions playing in orchestras such as Naples Philharmonic, Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, Manhattan Virtuosi, Philadelphia Virtuosi, etcetera. He has performed in Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall and the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Bernard conducts the Gloria Deo choir and is actively involved in composing music for worship. In addition to a number of choral pieces he has composed a number of hymns that are sung in our worship.
In 2010 Bernard was invited to present a lecture on the history of music in the church and its relevance today at the Mars Hill Meeting in Columbia, Maryland. Bernard enjoys reading, chess, playing chamber music and playing with his 2 year old daughter Clara.
