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The Austrian conductor, Alois J. Hochstrasser, finished his high school studies in Stift Seitenstetten in 1960; then studied at the Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna with Hans Gillesberger and Hans Swarowsky. He also studied with Sergiu Celibidache.
From 1966 to 1970 (or 1971) Alois J. Hochstrasser was Kapellmeister at the Grazer Dom. In 1970 (or 1971) he founded the Grazer Concert Choir and took over the artistic direction of choral orchestral concerts in Graz and on tours. From 1968, he held various teaching posts at the University of Graz and taught from 1971 to 2005 at the Pedagogical Academy of the Federal Government in Styria. In addition, he has directed since 1972 numerous orchestral and choral seminars for teachers and young prospects. From 1975 to 2002 he worked as a professor of piano, choir and orchestra as well as education for ensemble directing at the Johann-Joseph-Fux-Konservatorium.
In 1976 Alois J. Hochstrasser founded the Internationalen Orchesterwochen Erl/Tirol, a philharmonic academy with a world-wide reputation, and was its artistic director until 1998. Many young musicians of this academy are now in major orchestras, such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Wiener Philharmoniker and the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Budapest Radio Symphony Orchestra and others. Since 1975 he performs with his orchestra, the Pannonischen Philharmonie, in Graz, Austria in cultural centres in various festivals at home and abroad. In 1980 he was appointed as chief conductor of the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of South Africa, and since 1981 he is frequent guest conductor of the Budapest Youth Orchestra.
In 1982 Alois J. Hochstrasser led the annual choral-symphonic concerts of Lions Hartberg at the Basilika of Stiftes Vorau, which he regularly held until now. In these concerts he conducted works as such as Messa da Requiem by G. Verdi, Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln by Franz Schmidt, which he also recorded. In 2003, he conducted the Hungarian premiere of this work in Budapest. In 1990 he founded the International Pannonian Music Society in Graz, (today Inter Pannon Concert), an artistic community of the Grazer Concert Choir, the Graz Concert Youth Orchestra and the Pannonischen Philharmonie as an inter-regional cultural axis Styria-Hungary -Slovenia and Graz-Budapest.
Since 1997 Alois J. Hochstrasser also acts as the artistic director of the International Summer Festivals Leoben Gemeinsam with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Pannonian Philharmonic, the Grazer Concert Choir, the Youth Concert Grazer and in partnership with other top choirs from the Pannonian region and from Styria, it offers a wide and high quality music program with choral-symphonic and symphonic concerts, as well as operas, oratorios and film. Since 2000, the Pannonischen Philharmonie performs regularly at the Güssinger Kultursommer, in Lower Austria in Paudorf- Göttweig, at the Romantik-Festival Wildalpen, at the Kultursommer in Bad Aussee, etc. As such, the ensemble is a valuable document of an inter-cultural co-operation between East and West in South-East Europe.
Alois J. Hochstrasser has worked as a guest conductor in many European countries, the USA and South Africa. Numerous CD and vinyl recordings, film, radio and television broadcasts document his artistic work.
Alois J. Hochstrasser was distinguished by the presence of the Austrian President Rudolf Kirchschläger, and a performance of the 9th Symphony by L.v. Beethoven in the presence of the Austrian President Kurt Waldheim. In 1994, Alois J. Hochstrasser was awarded for his artistic merits with the Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst (Esson Cross for Science and the Arts) by the Federal President. In 2001 the President of the Republic of Austria awarded him the Austrian Honorary Cross for Science and Art, 1st class. In 2001 he also received Gold Decoration of the provincial capital of Graz. On June 21, 2006 he was awarded the Grand Decoration of Styria by the Styrian provincial government. He is also Honorary citizen of Franz Schmidt municipality of Vienna. |
