Born in 1979 in Salzburg, Bernhard Naoki started playing cello at the age of six. At the age of 13 Heinrich Schiff invited Bernhard to study with him over a period of eight years. In addition, he has worked with David Geringas, Zara Nelsova and Miklos Perenyi. An avid chamber music performer, he has been encouraged by musicians including György Kurtag, Ferenc Rados, György Sebök, the Alban Berg Quartet and Amadeus Quartet.

He is a prizewinner of many national and international competitions, including a Silver Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians and the winner of the European Music Prize of Young Musicians in Oslo.

His solo debut was Saint-Saens’ Cello Concerto with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg at the age of 12. Repertoire he has performed includes cello concertos by Shostakovich, Haydn, Dvorak, Schumann, Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations, Beethoven’s Triple Concerto and Brahms’ Double Concerto with the Cologne Radio Orchestra, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Costa Rica Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra and the Bombay Chamber Orchestra.

As a member of the Thomas Christian Ensemble, he recorded the chamber music transcriptions of works by Mahler, Bruckner and Debussy. As a member of Ensemble Raro he toured extensively in Europe and Japan and recorded Piano Quartets by Brahms, Dvorak, Dohnanyi, Suk and Vasks.

He made his debut at the Golden Hall in the Vienna’s Musikverein as soloist with the Radio Bavaria Chamber Orchestra. In the season 2007/08 he was Soloist in Residence at the Theatre Eisenach where he performed eight concerts with the GMD Tetsuro Ban.

Bernhard Naoki is artistic director of the Kobe Music Festival in Japan. He regularly gives master classes in Japan and Europe.

2008-2011 he was Principal Cellist of the Tonkünstler Orchestra.
2011 he joined the Orchestra of the Vienne State Opera.
Since 2014 he is member of the Vienna Philharmonic.