Violinist, founder of the Alban Berg Quartet

Günter Pichler began his studies at the University of Music in Vienna in 1955.

He was appointed Leader of the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra when he was 18, and when he was 21 Herbert von Karajan engaged him as Leader of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1969 he was awarded the “Mozart Interpretation Prize“.

From 1963 to 2009, Günter Pichler has been Professor at the University of Music and performing Arts in Vienna.

In 1970 Günter Pichler founded the Alban Berg Quartett. The Alban Berg Quartett regularly performed in the music metropolises of the world and is honorary member of the Vienna Konzerthaus Society as well as Associate Artists of the Royal Festival Hall London. It was rewarded more than thirty renowned disc prizes.

From 1993 to 2012 the members of the Alban Berg Quartet were Guest Professors in the Cologne University of Music, as successors to the Amadeus Quartet. The students included some of the best young European chamber music ensembles, such as the Artemis Quartet, the Belcea Quartet, the Casals Quartet, the Fauré Quartet, the Trio con Brio, the ATOS Trio, the Morgenstern Trio…

In  2008, Günter Pichler became head of the string department at the Instituto International de Musica de Camara at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia de Madrid. Since then, young quartets from Europe, the USA, Japan and China have travelled to study at this college. Among them are international prize winners such as the Acies Quartet, the Amaryllis Quartet, the Amber Quartet, the Cavaleri Quartet, the Finzi Quartet, the Piatti Quartet, the Jubilee Quartet, the Schumann Quartet, the Van Kuijk Quartet, the Voce Quartet etc.

Complementing his work in the quartet Günter Pichler embarked upon a career as a conductor. Since then he conducted many European orchestras in concerts and on tours (e.g. Vienna, Lausanne, Stuttgart and Israel Chamber Orchestras, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Orchestra della Toscana Firenze, I Pomeriggi Milano, Hallé Orchestra Manchester, Orchestre National de Lille, Royal Flanders Philharmonic, etc.). In Japan he conducted all the major orchestras like Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Sapporo Philharmonic and NHK Orchestra Tokyo. He is also Artistic Advisor of the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa.

In addition to this, G. Pichler is a visiting professor at the Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg - Austria, the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival - Germany, the International Institute "MISQA" Montreal, and at the Britten Pears School in Aldeburgh, England. Furthermore, he holds lessons at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy for three weeks every year.

Since 1992 Günter Pichler has been teaching in ProQuartet-CEMC.

http://guenterpichler.com/

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