Karl Österreicher
Karl Österreicher was ordinary for the education of conductors at the former "Hochschule of Music", today's mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Born in Rohrbach/Gölsen (Lower Austria), he received his primary education in St. Pölten, including piano lessons since he was 7 years old. After World War II, he enrolled at the Viennese Academy of Music in 1946 and graduated 4 years later with honors, having studied the clarinet with Prof. Leopold Wlach and musical theory with Prof. Alfred Uhl, many of whose compositions he premiered later on as a conductor.
He started his studies in conducting with Hans Swarowsky and Clemens Krauss. As a clarinet player, he worked with the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra. His first performers as a conductor led him not only to Salzburg but also on a tour through the USA in honor of W.A.Mozart's 200th birthday. In 1956 he was appointed to teach the clarinet, orchestral education and conducting at the University of Music, and took over the university's orchestra in 1964.
Karl Österreicher was named adjunct professor for conducting in 1969, and earned a full professorship in 1973.
He taught famous students from all around the world, like Ethiopia, USA, Russia, China and Europe, including: Mariss Jansons, Dimitrij Kitajenko, Jesus Lopez-Cobos, Garcia Navarro, Miguel Gomez-Martinez, Arild Remmereit, Plàcido Domingo and more.
As conductor, he gave guest performances with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the Tonkünstler orchestra, the ORF radio symphony orchestra, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, leading him not only to Germany, but also to Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Spain, France, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and Taipeh/China. Many visits brought him to Japan, where he conducted the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra, the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. He was also offered a professorship for conducting in Japan.
A special artistic relationship connected him with the Moscow and the Leningrad Philharmonic, being the first Austrian conductor to work with either of them. He was also the first conductor who performed pieces by Anton Bruckner in the Soviet Union at that time, earning a reputation as specialist for Bruckner interpretations.
Numerous competitions invited Karl Österreicher to act as juror.
He was decorated with many awards: He received the Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria (1976), the Austria Decoration for Science and Art (1981), the Medal of Honour of the Federal Capital Vienna in Gold (1988), the Culture Award of the State of Lower Austria 1978, as well as the Jakob Prandtauer Award of the State Capital St. Pölten (1979) for his services as exceptional educator and conductor of distinguished orchestras. A street in St. Pölten was named after him.
