The Viennese-born pianist, Prof. Manfred Wagner-Artzt was admitted at the age of 13 to the
"Concert Performance" training class of Richard Hauser at the former Academy of Music and
Performing Arts in Vienna. He later continued his studies with Alexander Jenner at the
University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where, as Jenner's student, he earned his
concert diploma in 1974. A few months later, he completed his chamber music training with a
diploma and from then on presented himself to the public as a soloist, chamber musician, and
accompanist. His international concert career began with a gold medal at the International
Piano Competition in Vercelli, which has since taken him to some of the most prestigious
concert halls in Europe (including Vienna's Great Musikverein Hall, Vienna's Great
Konzerthaus Hall, Salzburg's Mozarteum, Berlin Philharmonie, Munich's Am Gasteig, WDR
Broadcasting Hall in Cologne, Paris Salle Gaveau, London Saint John's Smith Square, Warsaw
Philharmonic, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, among others), as well as to
the United States (including Washington National Gallery), Russia (including the Moscow
Tchaikovsky Conservatory, St. Petersburg Hermitage, Pushkin Museum), Japan, China, Hong
Kong, South America, and the Near and Middle East. His artistic endeavors are documented in
numerous recordings for international radio and television stations, as well as on records
and CDs (EMI, GRAMOLA, MDG, DIVERTIMENTO, etc.). A significant focus of his concert activity
has been his extensive chamber music collaborations with many internationally renowned
instrumentalists, such as members of the Alban Berg Quartet, the Vienna String Sextet, the
Vienna Philharmonic, as well as Heinrich Schiff, Christian Altenburger, Gerald Schubert,
Ernst Kovacic, Ludwig Streicher, Roland Pidoux, and others. He also performs as a piano duo
with his wife, Susanna Artzt. From 1975 to 2010, he was a member of "exxj" (Ensemble 20th
Century), engaging with the latest developments in contemporary music. He has given
masterclasses and lecture-recitals at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory and in the USA, as
well as masterclasses both domestically and internationally, and has served as a lecturer at
the European Academy in Montepulciano. In October 1975, he began teaching at the University
of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he became a full professor in 1999 and retired
in October 2021.
