About the Author

Photo Credit: Reinhard Bimashofer

Matthias Wurz was born in Vienna in 1975. He currently works as freelance  journalist and researcher in his native city. However, Matthias completed his studies in the United Kingdom, at University of York (B.A. in Music) and at the Royal Holloway, (University of London, M.Mus. in Historical Musicology). He also graduated in International Relations at Webster University, Vienna Campus (M.A.). As of October 2009, Matthias Wurz is a PhD candidate in Musicology at the Music University of Vienna.

Matthias is a professionally accredited journalist in Austria by Presseclub Concordia, has worked for The Vienna Review as Music Critic and Executive Editor. From January to August 2009, Matthias was also its Managing Director responsible for the growth and development of the newspaper.

He began his early musical training at the Vienna Boys Choir (1985 – 1989), with which he toured throughout Europe, America and Southeast Asia as a child. After a period not related to music, Matthias left for the United Kingdom in 1997 for his musical training. Alongside the academic studies at York, he regularly participated professional conducting training with the Symphonic Workshops in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Engagements brought him to work with orchestras in the UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Romania. His first appearance with Sinfonia Bucharest in Romania in June 2004 was televised. He successfully returned to Romania in 2005 and 2008, performing and has since been appointed Principal Guest Conductor of the Sinfonia Bucharest.

Matthias has also built an academic reputation with his research into Austrian Emigrés Composers, such as Georg Tintner (1917 – 1999) and Karl Rankl (1989 – 1968), including conference talks, lectures and publications. Among others, he organized the Themed Session ‘Exile and Suppressed Music’ for the International Conference of 20th Century Music in London (2001) where he also lectured. Matthias spoke at the Wellesz-Gál Symposium in Vienna (2004) and was invited by musica reanimata, Berlin, for a narrated concert in April 2007. In 2009, Matthias will be researching the musical estate of the emigrés composer Walter Arlen for the organization exil.arte.

If you like to to contact me, please email me at matthias.wurz@gmail.com