Trained in Munich for the violin and composition, Bernhard Elsner moved to Nice (France) in 1991 with the goal of achieving his studies in mathematics. In 1998 he came to Paris, PhD diploma in one hand, a sheath of scribbled compositions in the other - and suddenly found himself working as assistant and co-creator of works as diverse as dramatic shorts and scientific documentaries for national television, culminating in his work for the bigger screen: the Imax underwater movie "Origins of Life".

Back on dry land, his new appreciation for cinema encouraged him to pursue a new career, that of film composer. Within months he had composed the music for several internationally televised documentaries, including "When the World Spoke Arabic" (12 x 26', FIT Production/France5), "Byzantine Complexity" (85', Atta Productions/Arte), "Michel Foucault by himself" (65', BFC Productions/Arte) and "Le Singe qui a traversé la mer " (52', Les Films du Rêve/Fance3).

The journey from precocious mathematician to versatile film composer is one rarely travelled and not one for the faint of heart - and Elsner wears his on his sleeve; calling on such diverse sources as minimalism and contemporary and classical music to create original soundtracks that somehow adapt themselves in often surprising (and always innovative) ways to a wide variety of films.