Erwin Ortner was born in Vienna, and received his early musical training as a member of the Vienna Boys’ Choir under Ferdinand Grossmann. He later studied at the Academy of Music in Vienna (among others, with Hans Swarowsky and Hans Gillesberger). From 1980 to 2016 he was Professor for choral conducting and voice training for choral singers at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna; from 1996 until 2002 he served as Dean.
Erwin Ortner
Erwin Ortner is the founder and artistic director of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir. He was likewise the artistic director of the Choir of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) from 1983 until its dissolution in 1995. A close decades-long collaboration with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Concentus Musicus Wien led to numerous recordings and awards. In 2002 the Arnold Schoenberg Choir was awarded the Grammy in the “Best Choral Performance” category. In this category, the conductor and choir director are honoured.
Erwin Ortner’s work as a conductor has taken him around the world. Projects with pianist Maurizio Pollini took him to New York, Paris, Tokyo, Rome, and Salzburg. He is regularly invited to work with leading orchestras, opera houses, festivals and concert halls, including the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Salzburg, Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin, Theater an der Wien, Salzburg Festival, Mozartwoche Salzburg, Musikverein Vienna and the Vienna Konzerthaus.) His frequent appearances as a guest conductor demonstrate his manifold activities both throughout Austria and abroad.
Aside from his work as a conductor, Erwin Ortner is also sought after internationally as a lecturer and adjudicator for masterclasses in orchestral and choral conducting. In 2010 he became artistic director of the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle, founded in 1498.
