Colleen Bernstein

Biography

Colleen Bernstein is an award-winning percussionist, educator, and creative collaborator. She has been featured in performances with GRAMMY winners including Béla Fleck and the Silkroad Ensemble. Active in the NYC scene, Colleen performs with a range of diverse projects including American Symphony, Talea Ensemble, Broadway musicals (The Music Man, Phantom of the Opera), and more.

Colleen is a performer and teaching artist with American Wild Ensemble, as well as a soloist recognized for her passionate performances and commitment to social justice advocacy. Recent solo engagements include a concerto performance with Albany Symphony Orchestra (NY), and sets at the MATA Festival, New Music Gathering, World Vibes Congress, and Oh My Ears Festival. In 2018, Colleen founded Strength & Sensitivity, a performance project and collaborative platform mixing contemporary music and poetry to catalyze dialogue about gender equality and intersectional feminism.

Colleen is on faculty at Hunter College and William Paterson University, where she teaches percussion and music education courses. She also serves as Director of Percussion and Percussion Ensembles for the New Jersey Youth Symphony. Colleen holds degrees and certificates from the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan. She resides in New York City.