Bill Bernatis recently retired from teaching after 45 years as a music educator. After teaching 3 years as a high school band director in Kansas, he taught at Del Mar College, Ithaca College, Baylor University, and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Bill is Assistant Principal horn of the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra and Principal horn of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. In his playing career he has performed with many major and minor orchestras, soloed with a few, and performed chamber music of just about any kind that uses a French horn. During his time in Las Vegas, he performed in hundreds of shows from theater to the biggest stars in the entertainment industry. Bill now lives in San Diego, California with his wife, Janis, and enjoys biking, reading, and creating recordings for his YouTube page called “The Etude.” He has happily been playing with the Chautauqua Symphony since 1997 and looks forward to coming back each summer to see his friends in the CSO and relax at his and Janis’s house on Lake Erie.