Austrian Violinist, former Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, principal 2nd Violins.
Professor for orchestral education at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Helmut Zehetner, born in Lower Austria, began his musical career as a violinist with a 1st prize at the competition of the n.ö. Music Schools Competition. Solo concerts followed in Austria and the USA (one-year stay as an exchange student in Berkeley/San Francisco, California, 1971/72, high school graduate). After graduating from high school in Austria (1973), he studied violin with Franz Samohyl (diploma 1980), composition with Friedrich Neumann and conducting with Karl Österreicher and Otmar Suitner (diploma 1982) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
Since 1980 violinist in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, 1983 member of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, leader of the 2nd violins. Numerous appearances as chamber musician and conductor of various international chamber orchestras.
During his studies he conducted and founded youth and student orchestras (youth orchestra of the music schools in Vienna, TU orchestra), lecturer and director of summer academies (“Musikfabrik Rosenau/Zwettl”). In 1997 he took over the direction of the string department at the “International Orchestra Institute Attergau”, where, under the patronage of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, talented students from all over the world are confronted with the Viennese style of sound and the Viennese tradition of playing or are introduced to it – with a final concert at the Salzburg Festival.
Since 1985 head of the course “Orchestra Education” at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He regularly leads concerts with the Webern Sinfonietta and organizes and prepares programmes of the Webern Symphony Orchestra (WSO) for conductors like Riccardo Muti, Pierre Boulez, Franz Welser-Möst, Kirill Petrenko, Bertrand de Billy, Claudio Abbado, Mstislav Rostropovich, Zubin Metha and recently Daniel Harding.
He established a cycle of this orchestra with world-famous conductors at the Vienna Musikverein in a cooperation between the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien and the Jeunesse musicale.
Appointment to university professor for “Orchestra Education” at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in March 2008.
