Name: Em. Prof. Mag. Albert Heitzinger
Position: President
Albert Heitzinger was born in 1947 in Lambach, Austria. He received his first horn lessons from Prof. Erich Pizka at the Linz Bruckner Conservatory. He continued and completed his studies with Prof. Josef Veleba at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (today: University of Music). His first engagement was with the orchestra of the Vienna Burgtheater, later with the Vienna State Opera Stage Orchestra and the orchestra of the Theater an der Wien. He taught at the Upper Austrian State Music School System, the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, and the Anton Bruckner University in Linz. He worked extensively as a substitute with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, the Vienna Symphony, the ORF Symphony Orchestra, and the Camerata Salzburg under L. Bernstein, L. Maazel, C. Kleiber, C. Abbado, Z. Mehta, S. Végh, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Roger Norrington, Andris Nelson, among others. He made recordings and performed on the natural horn with the L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra and the L’Orfeo Wind Ensemble, Ars Antiqua Austria, Wiener Akademie, and L’Harpa Festante Munich. He also collaborated with the Wiener Virtuosen and the Ensemble Kontrapunkte in Vienna, performing wind chamber music with Ensemble Octogon and the Vienna Wind Octet. Additionally, he is a founding member of the Austrian ensemble Vienna Horns.
Name: Roland Fritsch
Position: Vice-President
He first studied with Prof. Klaus Zajer and later with Robert Lorenzi. He was a member of the Academic Symphony Orchestra Vienna and the Ensemble Wien Klang, and also worked as a substitute in the stage orchestras of the Vienna State Opera and the Volksoper Vienna, with concert tours in Austria and abroad.
Name: Azis Sadikovic
Position: Artistic Director
Azis Sadikovic was born in 1983 in Vienna and began studying the violin with Prof. Werner Hink at the Conservatory of the City of Vienna while still in school. After numerous national and international competitions and concert appearances, he began his conducting studies in 2004 with Prof. Georg Mark, also at the Conservatory of the City of Vienna, which he completed with distinction in 2008, debuting with the Slovak Philharmonic during his examination concert. During this time, he gained experience and new insights through courses with Daniel Barenboim, Gustavo Dudamel, Yakov Kreizberg, Fabio Luisi, Bertrand de Billy, Günter Neuhold, Daniel Klajner, and Bobby McFerrin.
Further information can be found at www.azis‑sadikovic.com
Name: Martina Helfenschneider
Position: Secretary
Born in 1991 and originally from Styria, he began his musical training on the horn at the age of six with Gerhard Stückler at the Friesach Music School. In 2009, he was admitted to, and briefly studied concert performance at, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Prof. Jöbstl. Shortly thereafter, he began studies in instrumental pedagogy for horn and music education teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with Prof. Bramböck.
Since then, she has performed in numerous ensembles and orchestras, worked as a substitute horn teacher at the Eggenburg Music School, and as a music educator at the Sacré Coeur Pressbaum Gymnasium.
Name: Mag. Axel Peisteiner
Position: Treasurer, Legal Advisor
He studied with Prof. Roland Berger in Vienna, was a member of the Academic Symphony Orchestra Vienna, regularly performed with the Joseph Haydn Chamber Orchestra in Eisenstadt, and previously worked as a substitute in the stage orchestras of the Vienna State Opera and the Volksoper Vienna, with concert tours in Austria and abroad. He has held a Magister iur since 2001 and an LL.M. (Northwestern University, Chicago, IL) since 2004.