He was born in Lembach, Austria. He studied violin, piano and composition at Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, and orchestral conducting at the Vienna University of Music under Hans Swarowsky. Initially he collaborated with theaters in the German cities of Klagenfurt, Heidelberg and Gelsenkirchen. He subsequently served as opera director at the Linz State Theater and conductor with the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz (1985-92). He was permanent guest conductor at the Vienna People’s Opera (1992-96) and the Cologne State Opera (1996-2000). In the period 1996-2005, as an envoy of the Austrian Government, he conducted the opera Don Giovanni in Tirana and Ulan Bator (Mongolia). He conducted major symphony orchestras, including the German Symphonic Orchestra of Berlin, Virtuosi di Praga, the orchestras of Radio Prague and Bratislava, Symphonic Orchestra of Madrid, Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento. In addition, he conducted numerous performances in opera theaters in major German cities, including Hamburg, Stuttgart, Berlin, Dresden, Bonn, etc., as well as around the world: Oslo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Philadelphia, Mexico City, Tokyo, etc. He has collaborated with directors and vocal artists such as Günter Krämer, Katia Ricciarelli, Diana Damrau, Brigitte Fassbaender, Dietrich Hilsdorf, Piero Cappuccilli, Camilla Nylund, etc. He was awarded the Karl Böhm Prize of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Bertil Östbo Award for his contribution to the diffusion of Anton Bruckner’s work, and the Award of the Ministry of Culture of Hungary for his contribution to contemporary Hungarian music. At the GNO he conducted the operetta The Bat [Die Fledermaus] (Olympia Theater, 2006/07).