biographical info
Juno Award winner P.J. Perry has called Don Berner "one of Canada's fastest rising saxophone stars. Reads, doubles, solos, he does it all." and jazz icon Hugh Fraser has stated ,”Don’s talent as a great saxophonist is supported by his compositional and band leading talents.” In addition to appearing alongside such notable jazz luminaries as P.J. Perry, Bobby Shew, Hugh Fraser, Slide Hampton, Bob Stroup, Chu Cho Valdez, Lew Tabackin, Guido Basso, and Tommy Banks, Hillario Duran and commercial talents E.C. Scott, Bobby Curtola, and the Temptations, he has performed at Edmonton's Jazz City Festival and Yardbird Suite, been a featured artist at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and played Calgary’s “Beatniq”, Saskatoon’s “The Bassment”, Vancouver’s “The Cellar”, and numerous other jazz clubs throughout Canada and the U.S. Berner was co-producer of Edmonton’s Yardbird Jazz Festival in 2005/06 and can be heard on numerous CD’s including his own debut CD, “Sextet”. He has performed at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the Polish Embassy in Ottawa, as well as leading his sextet to Mexico’s “Internacional Festival de Cervantino” and returning there to perform for the Canadian embassies “Canada week”. In addition, he has performed on CBC's "Hockey Night in Canada" and numerous radio and TV specials. A former Grant MacEwan Outreach instructor, he maintains a busy performing, lecturing, and teaching schedule. In addition to appearances with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Berner has released his second album, the critically acclaimed "Fortress of Solitude"., and is currently completeing his third. Berner is also formerly the announcer and producer of “A Time For Jazz”, heard every Saturday on CKUA and the writer of the “Jazz Standards” column in Edmonton’s SEE magazine. His brand new album “The Don Berner Sextet Invades Calgary” has been charting all over Canada and is the subject of a recent CBC recording. He has also been nominated for the TD Canada trust Jazz award, the Galaxie rising star award, and several mayoral arts awards.