Jean-Baptiste Bertrand studied composition, conducting, and jazz piano in Lyon and Grenoble under Daniel Kawka, Philippe Caillard, François Lusignant and Alfio Origlio. He was able to increase his choral music abilities at the Conservatory of Stockholm, and with the choir of the national swedish broadcasting station under the direction of Eric Ericson. He gained further important experience on several study trips to Poland, where he worked together with Professor Jan Szyrocki.
Mr. Bertrand worked as a lecturer for “art direction for choral music“ and as master for musical education. He has been the musical director of the university choir “Groupe Vocal Universitaire“ of St. Etienne since 1996, and founded the chamber choir “Ikonos“ in 2003. Furthermore, he became conductor of the “Maîtrise de la Loire“ in 2003.
Before that, he founded a course for choral music which was given by him, and developed a training program for future choral directors at the “Ecole Nationale de la Magistrature“ in St. Etienne.
Mr. Bertrand has focused on a-cappella music, especially contemporary music from eastern countries. He was named guest conductor at the international festival “Universitas Cantat“ in Poznan, Poland, in 2002. He worked together with many other artists such as Jean Pierre Sciau, Romain Didier, Matthieu Burgard, Marek Jasinski or A. Koszewski. He studied or conducted numerous works for choir and/or orchestra, e.g. Haydn’s “Stabat mater“ with the Chamber Orchestra of Lyon, Mendelssohn’s 42nd psalm, Collasse’s opera “Astrée“, Haydn’s “Creation“, Orff’s “Carmina Burana“, R. Didier’s “Pinocchio“, G. Fauré’s “Requiem“ and – in co-operation with Gilles Cantagrel – D. Buxtehude’s “Membra Jesus Nostri“. Some of these projects have been published on CD.
In 2003 Jean-Baptiste Bertrand was conductor of the German-Polish Choral Academy “in terra pax“ in France; in 2004 he worked together with the choir in Międzyzdroje for the first time.