"Singing & music are my passion, inspiration and calling."
Biography
Bernhard Betschart – the Naturjuuzer from the Muotathal
rooted in his homeland & open to the world – traditional & experimental
Juuzer with a leaning towards tradition – instrumentalist – committed course leader – rock and dialect singer – lead figure in yodelling documentaries.
Bernhard Betschart is an artist of many facets
· Collaborations with leading Swiss yodelling and folk music figures
· Member of the «Bernheart Chor» on the television show «Kampf der Chöre»
· Contestant on «The Voice of Switzerland»
· Tenor and yodeller in the men's choir «Heimweh» – winner of the Prix Walo and three-time winner of the Swiss Music Award
· Winner of the SNE Sponsorship Award for yodelling courses at Fragile Suisse
· Acting experience with the nationally known Muotathal theatre
· Rock and folk musician in various ensembles
Growing up in Muotathal, Bernhard Betschart discovered his love of music early on thanks to his parents. He gained his first stage experience at the age of five with the «Familie Betschart». In 1983/84 he took part in Hugo Zemp's documentary films Jodeln und Juuzen and in further film productions.
His two-year journey through Canada and the USA, his passion for the music he found there and his love of the acoustic guitar inspired him and shape his artistic path to this day.
Today Bernhard Betschart appears above all as a solo artist – with voice and guitar he touches heart and soul. He is also tenor and yodeller in the successful men's choir «Heimweh». He shows his versatility in various folklore groups, plays the Muotathal Büchel, plays double bass to earthy Ländler music and juuzt, combining archaic sounds with traditional and modern folk music elements.
As a course leader he passes his passion for juuzen on with great success in workshops at home and abroad. The Naturjuuz learning CDs released at the end of 2019 and the two sheet music books that followed complete a deeply personal body of work through which he expresses both his esteem for tradition and his curiosity for the new.
