He graduated from high school and attended the University of Notre Dame, where, in 1959, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering.
[1] He has also worked with Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Paul Desmond, Benny Goodman, Lena Horne, Hubert Laws, Michel Legrand, Charles McPherson, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, and Nancy Wilson.
After hearing a Julian Bream album at the advice of his teacher Chuck Wayne,[4] Bertoncini began studying classical guitar and using the instrument for jazz and Latin music styles.
Bertoncini discussed his use of the instrument in a 2008 interview: I started practicing classical guitar just about the time when the bossa nova hit.
[5]From 1990 to 2008, Bertoncini played solo guitar on Sunday and Monday evenings at the Bistro La Madeleine on West 43rd Street in New York City.