Günter Pichler began his studies at the Vienna University of Music in 1955. At the age of 18 he was appointed conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and at 21 Herbert von Karajan hired him as conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1969 he was awarded the ‘Mozart Interpretation Prize’.
From 1963 to 2009 Günter Pichler was professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and from 1993 to 2012 guest professor in Cologne. In 2007, he was appointed director of the Chamber Music Department at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia in Madrid. He also holds master classes at many prestigious summer academies.
Many of his students have won international prizes, are concert artists in important orchestras, professors in music academies and universities and perform as soloists and chamber music ensembles in international concert halls. The most successful European chamber music ensembles, e.g. the Artemis, Belcea, Casals, Fauré quartets, the Trio con brio, the Trio Atos, Eggner, Morgenstern, etc., have been their pupils. The following quartets were awarded this season: Amaryllis, Cavaleri, Noga, Piatti, Schumann, Voce.
In 1970, Günter Pichler founded the Alban Berg Quartett and has directed this famous quartet ever since. The Alban Berg Quartett regularly performs in musical metropolises all over the world and is an honorary member of the Vienna Konzerthaus Society as well as an Associate Artist of the Royal Festival Hall in London. He has been the recipient of more than thirty renowned recording awards.
Complementing his work in the quartet, Günter Pichler embarked on a career as a conductor. Since then, he has conducted many European orchestras in concerts and tours (e.g. the chamber orchestras of Vienna, Lausanne, Stuttgart and Israel, the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, the Orchestra della Toscana Firenze, I Pomeriggi Milano, the Hallé Orchestra Manchester, the Orchestre National de Lille, the Royal Flanders Philharmonic, etc.). In Japan, he has conducted all the major orchestras such as Tokyo, Osaka, Sendai, Sapporo Philharmonic and NHK Orchestra Tokyo. He is currently artistic advisor of the Ensemble Orchestra Kanazawa.
