Erich Polz

Erich Polz is one of the talented young Austrian conductors on the rise. Recently having led the New Year’s concert of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra (CH), and having made his debut at the prestigious styriarte Festival in Graz, he has conducted such orchestras as the Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim, and the Festival Orchestra of the Tiroler Festspiele. Future engagements include concerts with the Philharmonisches Orchester Giessen, and the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie Herford.

His engagements have included several positions as assistant conductor, most recently with the Orchestra recreation in Graz. A very defining period for the young conductor have been the past four years at the “Tiroler Festpiele Erl”, where he has been both assistant conductor and choir director of the legendary, recurring “24hr-Ring” production, as well as of the “Meistersinger”, “Tristan and Isolde” and “Lohengrin”. Other assistant conductorships have lead him to assist productions of Parsifal, Verdi’s La Traviata, Il Trovatore, and Rigoletto, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

In 2011 and 2012 a Conducting Scholarship from the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra enabled him to assist conductors such as Sir Colin Davis, David Afkham and Daniele Gatti, over the course of several tours.

Erich Polz is the chief conductor of MODUS 21, a Vienna based Chamber Orchestra which he founded in 2013, consisting of orchestra members from all over Europe. From 2012-2017 he was chief conductor of the “Wiener Konzertvereingung.

Erich Polz studied with Professor Georg Mark at the Vienna Conservatory, and completed both his Bachelor’s and his Master’s degree with great distinction, after leading concerts with the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra.

Hailing from a family of famous Austrian wine makers Erich Polz also studied wine making in Austria, and in France with famous wine makers from the Bourgogne region.