Evan Berndt

Van Ber is a unique voice in contemporary music. A classically trained composer, he blends experimental recording techniques with traditional orchestration to create innovative works across dance, film, television, gallery installations, live concerts, and brand collaborations with companies such as Oakley, Beacon, and Black Diamond. Recently, he composed the score for the ten-episode television series Dandyland, hosted by internet personality Dandy; completed a collaborative multimedia sound installation and workshop at the Libby Gallery in partnership with Emily Carr University of Art + Design; and was invited to the Winter Semester New Works Workshop at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he developed and performed his co-created musical AI Messiah (2025). As an artist, Van Ber combines synthesizer, acoustic, and digital production elements to define a distinctly modern sound. Described by Rich Terfry as “crazy talented,” his debut album The Great Ugly was featured on CBC Radio’s Drive. His follow-up album, A Joy Believed, supported by FACTOR Canada, has been spotlighted on CBC’s North by Northwest. As a performer, Evan has an extensive background as a classical pianist, having studied with renowned artists Gwen Beamish and André Laplante. A winner of the ORMTA Young Artist Competition, he has performed widely as a soloist and now tours across Canada and the U.S. as a keyboard, singer, synth, and organ player in multiple productions. “My background includes 24 years in the music industry in both the U.S. and Canada working with artists such as: Beck. The Rolling Stones, Jamie Lidell, Thurston Moore and Buck 65 and it is credit to Evan's incredible talent dedication to musicianship and relentless effort towards its pursuit, that I place him into that league of artists without hesitation.” - Dean Nelson, Producer, Mixer, Engineer Evan is an assistant producer, band leader, and music arranger for Sound the Alarm: Music/ Theatre’s production of Music of the Night – A Concert Tour, featuring the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The production has been highly successful and is currently on its eighth Canadian tour since premiering in 2019. He is also commissioned by Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre and several other companies to develop and create new productions for their 2024–2025 season. In the spring of 2025, he co-created and arranged A Whole New World — a concert tour celebrating the music of Disney and Hollywood musicals — which toured across Canada and is scheduled to return for another national tour in fall 2026. “[Evan] is a very kind and empathetic artist and is therefore a perfect fit for many of our projects that work with marginalized artists and communities. His passion towards equity and inclusion is inspiring and you can see it in his standard artistic practice in who he collaborates with throughout his career.” - Alan Corbishley - Sound the Alarm: Music/Theatre, City Opera Vancouver Evan is the co-founder of Divide the Silence, a sound services company specializing in music production, composition, mixing, and mastering. As Audio Director, he has received multiple awards for Theatre for the Ears, an audio drama series recognized at festivals including Filmhaus Berlin, Miami Web Fest, and the New Jersey Web Festival. As a composer, he has been commissioned to create works for dance and for films featured in international festivals, including Headspace: The Journey of Hedvig Wessel, Ether Ship (set to be released in 2026) and the ballet piece When We Awake. “I started this [dance] piece with a recorded [non-original] piece of music and it just wasn’t working- then Evan offered to collaborate. And within ten minutes things were brilliant.” - Carol Mendes - The Amok Project, choreographer and artistic producer “This edit is amazing and the music is above and beyond what I expected. You’re such a talent my friend” - Ryan Kenny - videographer He is also a filmmaker, producer, and host of Dividing the Silence, a short film exploring how physical spaces influence the creative process. In addition to his own projects, Evan produces records for artists such as Caitlin Goulet (Inside Thoughts) and works as a session keyboardist on numerous recordings. Evan holds an Honours Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition with Distinction, majoring in piano, from Western University, and an ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music.

ArrangerComposerGuitarKeyboardOrchestratorPianoProgrammerSynthesizer