Gunter Waldek (born 26 July 1953) is an Austrian composer, conductor and music educator.

Life and career

Waldek was born in

Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...

. Already in his youth he received piano, organ and

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

lessons at the

Anton Bruckner Private University The Anton Bruckner Private University (in German ''Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität'', common short form is ''Bruckner University'') is one of five Austrian Universities for Music, Drama and Dance, and one of four universities in Linz, the Euro ...

. After the

Matura or its translated terms (''mature'', ''matur'', , , , , ', ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...

in 1971, he studied

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

and

Romance studies Romance studies or Romance philology (; ; ; ; ; ; ) is an academic discipline that covers the study of the languages, literatures, and cultures of areas that speak Romance languages. Romance studies departments usually include the study of Spa ...

at the

Mozarteum University Salzburg Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the "Mozarteum" name in Salzburg municipality; the International Mozarteum ...

and the

University of Salzburg The University of Salzburg (, ), also known as the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (''Paris-Lodron-Universität Salzburg'', PLUS), is an Austrian public university in Salzburg, Salzburg municipality, Salzburg (federal state), Salzburg State, ...

. In 1977, he graduated with

Staatsexamen The ("state examination" or "exam by state"; pl.: ''Staatsexamina'') is a German government licensing examination that future physicians, dentists, physical therapists, teachers, research librarians, archivists, pharmacists, food chemists, psyc ...

and

Magister degree A magister degree (also magistar, female form: magistra; from , "teacher") is an academic degree used in various systems of higher education. The magister degree arose in medieval universities in Europe and was originally equal to the doctorate; ...

and from then on taught at grammar schools in Linz and Salzburg. He completed his further studies (conducting), choir conducting and composition with

Helmut Eder Helmut Eder (December 26, 1916, Linz – February 8, 2005, Salzburg) was an Austrian composer. Eder studied until 1948 at the Linz Conservatory, later studying with Johann Nepomuk David in Stuttgart and Carl Orff in Munich. Returning to Linz, ...

with the Magister artrium. In 1982 he took over the composition and theory class from Helmut Schiff at the Bruckner Conservatory. In 2004, he

habilitated Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellen ...

in composition. In 1990, he became deputy director, and from 2004 to 2008 he was vice-rector of the conservatory.

Work

Particularly successful were the church opera ''Das Hohe Lied'' (1993) and ''Ein etwas seltsames Abendessen'', musical music theatre (1994). His extensive output (more than 150 compositions since 1980) includes various genres: * ''13 Ways of Looking at Blackbird'' (song cycle, 1984). * ''...meins trarens is ...'' (violin Concerto, 1986) * ''Up & Down'' (Sinfonietta for string orchestra, 1989) * ''Lacrimosa'' (for large orchestra, 1989) * ''Dream Songs'' (after ''Indian texts'' for choir, 1990) * ''Domklang'' (spatial installation, 1990) * ''Et l'enfant dit: ...'' (scenic cantata for children, 1991) * ''Von der Verwüstung der Westindischen Länder'' (Requiem, 1992) * ''Bows and Arrows'' (wien modern, 1993)

Awards

* 1994:

Kulturpreis des Landes Oberösterreich The Kulturpreis des Landes Oberösterreich (Culture Prize of the Province of Upper Austria) is awarded as a prize by the Province of Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Li ...

for music * 1996: Förderpreis des Bundesministeriums * 2016: Großer Kulturpreis des Landes Oberösterreich ( Anton Bruckner Prize).Verleihung Anton-Bruckner-Preis an Gunter Waldek
on ''ÖKB – Österreichischer Komponistenbund''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waldek, Gunter 1953 births 20th-century Austrian male musicians 20th-century Austrian classical composers 20th-century hymnwriters Austrian music educators Austrian opera composers Living people Austrian male opera composers Composers from Linz Anton Bruckner Private University alumni