Bernardette Vella was born in 1981 and started studying music and French horn at the age of seven, at the Beland Band Club, Żejtun. She continued her studies with E. Spagnol. She furthered her studies under the guidance of José Garcia Gutierrez, specialising in low horn.

In 2002 Bernardette joined the Orchestra as a full-time musician playing fourth horn. To date, she has performed in both the roles of second and fourth horn with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

With the Orchestra, she has toured in the USA, China, Russia, Austria and Germany, performing in major concert halls such as Musikverein in Vienna and Carnegie Hall, New York.