Initially, his career seemed destined for the "splendid isolation" of a great soloist. At the age of 16, he left his hometown of Vienna to study with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School in New York. This was quickly followed by worldwide engagements: solo concerts with many of the most prominent conductors and orchestras in Europe and the United States.
Music with Friends for Friends ...
Initially, his career seemed destined for the "splendid isolation" of a great soloist. At the age of 16, he left his hometown of Vienna to study with Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School in New York. This was quickly followed by worldwide engagements: solo concerts with many of the most prominent conductors and orchestras in Europe and the United States.
Music with Friends for Friends Over time, Christian Altenburger increasingly realized how much music meant to him as a medium of communication. Sharing the joy of music with others—making music "with friends for friends"—became the driving force behind his further musical development. Consequently, Christian Altenburger is today not only an internationally sought-after soloist but also an equally esteemed chamber musician, teacher, and festival director.
Career and Background He has been close to music since childhood. His father, a violinist with the Vienna Philharmonic, was his first teacher. During his school years, Altenburger studied at the University of Music in Vienna, earning his diploma before moving to New York on the recommendation of Zubin Mehta. Dorothy DeLay proved to be an ideal mentor; her comprehensive knowledge, which extended far beyond technical and instrumental aspects, impressed him as deeply as her ability to support the student as a whole person. These experiences have also shaped Christian Altenburger’s own pedagogical work. From 1990 to 2001, he was a professor at the University of Music Hannover, and since 2001, he has held a professorship at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Collaborations with Great Orchestras and Conductors In addition to Zubin Mehta, his first mentor among prominent conductors, he owes lasting artistic inspiration to James Levine. He performed repeatedly with Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic, and collaborated on chamber music projects at the Ravinia Festival in the USA. Successful collaborations also developed with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Herbert Blomstedt, Christoph von Dohnányi, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Bernard Haitink, Marek Janowski, Dimitri Kitaenko, Lorin Maazel, Sir Charles Mackerras, Václáv Neumann, Sir Roger Norrington, Sir André Previn, Dennis Russell Davies, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Slatkin, and Franz Welser-Möst. The list of orchestras with which he has performed includes—among many others—the Berlin Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Staatskapelle Dresden, the NHK Tokyo, the New York Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, and the Vienna Symphony.
Chamber Music and Festival Direction Musical friendships are the foundation of his chamber music projects. Artists such as Silke Avenhaus, Patrick Demenga, Ralf Gothoni, Heinz Holliger, Kim Kashkashian, Michel Lethiec, Arto Noras, Thomas Riebl, Christoph Schiller, Melvyn Tan, Lars Anders Tomter, and Lars Vogt have all performed alongside him. His deep commitment to chamber music also led to his work as a festival director. From 1999 to 2005, he served as the artistic director of the Mondseetage chamber music festival together with actress Julia Stemberger. Since 2003, he has been the artistic director of the Musikfestspiele Schwäbischer Frühling. In 2006, the Loisiarte festival was founded, and Altenburger was invited to design the artistic concept for this unique intersection of music and literature, where he continues to serve as artistic director.
Contemporary Music For Christian Altenburger, close personal relationships with contemporary composers are among his most significant artistic experiences. His long-standing friendship with Gerhard Schedl held a special place. Important encounters, documented through world premieres and CD productions, also unfolded with composers such as Theodor Berger, Bert Breit, Richard Dünser, Gottfried von Einem, Wilhelm Killmayer, Thomas Larcher, Witold Lutoslawski, Werner Pirchner, and Kurt Schwertsik. In addition to contemporary works, Altenburger is particularly dedicated to the music of the Second Viennese School. However, his repertoire knows almost no boundaries—ranging from Bach to the present day, and from music to literature. For him, the joy of art and the love of music are indivisible.
Biography by Dr. Joachim Reiber, Editor of the magazine "Musikfreunde" of the Society of Friends of Music in Vienna.
The joy of art and the love of music are indivisible.
