Q & ABernard Labadie

Who or what experiences inspired you to be a professional musician? 

I do not come from a  musical family, but a music teacher in elementary school noticed I had a good ear when I was about 9, and encouraged me to pick up an instrument which ended up being a very modest recorder. At age 11, I was astonished when I heard the first cantata from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in concert. I knew instantly I wanted this to be my life. To this day, hearing the opening chorus of that piece gives me the same goose bumps I felt the very first time. For Christmas when I was 12 I received the pocket full score of the Mass in B minor… I still have this score in my office. Bach was the first – and still is the biggest – love of my musical life.