Biography
Vinzenz Praxmarer
The Austrian conductor Vinzenz Praxmarer has established himself as a dynamic and versatile presence in both opera and concert repertoire. As artistic director and founder of the Orchestra Divertimento Viennese, he has presented unique programmes focusing on the music of the Viennese fin de siècle and lesser-known works by Jewish composers. Praxmarer is renowned for his innovative concert programming and passionate interpretations, which have earned him regular invitations to prestigious institutions such as the Salzburg Festival.
News
In 2024, Vinzenz Praxmarer conducted concerts with the Tonkünstler Orchestra at the Vienna Musikverein, the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra in Rabat. He also appeared with the Orchestra Divertimento Viennese at the Vienna Musikverein, the Brucknerhaus Linz, the Forum am Schlosspark Ludwigsburg, the Salzburg Festival, and the Salzkammergut Festwochen Gmunden. Praxmarer also made his debut at the Stadttheater Klagenfurt with Prokofiev’s ballet Romeo and Juliet and conducted a production of Korngold’s Die Stumme Serenade at the Kulturfabrik Helfenberg. At the end of 2024, he debuted at the Tyrolean Festival Erl conducting Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and appeared with the Strauss Festival Orchestra in gala concerts at the Vienna Konzerthaus and in Udine.
In 2025 invitations followed to the Rheingau Music Festival, the Ludwigsburg Castle Festival and the Macedonian National Opera in Skopje. At the Tyrolean Festival in Erl, he took over the direction of the newly founded Orchestra Academy in autumn 2025, a collaboration that will continue in 2026. Works by the exiled composer Julius Bürger are on the programme for a major orchestral concert in June 2026 featuring baritone Thomas Hampson, which Praxmarer will conduct at the ORF RadioKulturhaus in Vienna.
Opera
Vinzenz Praxmarer made his debut as an opera conductor in 2006 at the Lehár Festival Bad Ischl, where he served as Music Director until 2011. His work in the operetta repertoire is documented in three world premiere recordings released on the cpo label: Fatinitza (Franz von Suppé), Der fidele Bauer (Leo Fall), and Frasquita (Franz Lehár).
He has since made debuts at major houses including the Vienna Volksoper, Landestheater Bregenz, Theater Bern, Theater St. Gallen, Opéra national de Paris, Theater Chemnitz, and the Linz Music Theatre. From 2013 to 2015, he was conductor of the Children’s Opera at the Vienna State Opera.
Symphonic Music
As a symphonic conductor, he has been invited to conduct renowned orchestras, including the Latvian National Orchestra in Riga, the Munich Radio Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Orchestra in Moscow, the Tonkünstler Orchestra, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia, the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra del Friuli Venezia Giulia, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra in Ankara.
Education
Vinzenz Praxmarer completed his conducting studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna under Prof. Georg Mark. He subsequently worked as an assistant to Franz Welser-Möst, Kirill Petrenko, Philippe Jordan, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Christoph Eschenbach, Valery Gergiev and Marc Albrecht, amongst others. He has served as director of studies at Theater an der Wien, the Salzburg Festival, La Scala in Milan, the Opéra national de Lyon, and the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. Praxmarer also collaborates closely with the Vienna Philharmonic’s Summer Academy.