Jackson Bernal, 20, is currently pursuing his bachelor’s degree at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying under Benjamin Kamins. He previously was a youth fellow of the National Symphony Orchestra, studying with Joseph Grimmer and Sean Gordon. A recipient of numerous awards, Jackson has won prizes in the Young Arts National Arts Competition, the U.S. Army Band Competition, and most recently, the Shepherd School Concerto Competition, where he is slated to perform as soloist with the orchestra next season. Jackson has spent past summers at the Music Academy of the West and the National Youth Orchestra of the United States and will spend this summer as a fellow of the Tanglewood Music Center. A former select artist with the Washington Musical Pathways Initiative, Jackson has had the opportunity to work side-by-side with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.