JURY
Prof. Erwin Ortner
Head of the Jury & Artistic Advisor of the
Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival
Erwin Ortner was born and raised in Vienna, Austria, where he was a member of the world-renowned Vienna Boys' Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben) under Ferdinand Grossmann.
He completed his studies at the former Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts, now known as the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts, where he specialized in Musical Pedagogy and Sacred Music, and where he studied Orchestral Conducting under Hans Swarowsky and Choral Conducting under Hans Gillesberger.
Since 1980, Ortner has been a Professor for Choral Conducting and Choral Voice Training at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna, where he also served as Rector from 1996-2002. Ortner is founder and artistic director of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir. Furthermore, from 1983 - 1995 he served as artistic director of the Vienna Radio Choir (dissolved in 1995). He often acts as Artistic Director and Conductor at international courses on orchestral and choral conducting, such as those offered at the Internationale Chorakademie Krems, and conducts throughout the world.
In 2002 the 
Arnold Schoenberg Choir and its recording of Bach's "Matteus Passion" won a Grammy for Best Choral Performance. In this category the Grammy usually is awarded to to the conductor - Nikolaus Harnoncourt - and the artistic director - Erwin Ortner - of the prize-winning choir.
