The influential music professor was also a respected teacher of violin, viola and conducting
Leading German-born music professor and string teacher Reinhart von Gutzeit died on 11 July 2025 in Lucerne, Switzerland, at the age of 78.
Over his career he served as rector of the Mozarteum Salzburg University, Austria (2006–14), president of the Salzburg Biennale festival (2009–14) and director of the Bruckner Conservatory, Linz, Austria (1995–2004). He was also a highly respected teacher of violin, viola and conducting.
Von Gutzeit was born in Berlin on 18 February 1947. He attended the Düsseldorf Youth Music School and completed his music education studies at the Cologne University of Music.
After spending almost 30 years teaching violin, viola and conducting, and as director of music for schools in Rheinbach and Bochum, Germany, in 1995 von Gutzeit was appointed as director of the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Austria. Under his leadership, the institution was accredited as the Anton Bruckner Private University in 2004.
He was appointed rector of the Mozarteum University Salzburg in 2006, where he served until 2014. He subsequently spent ten years as a member of the Mozarteum’s executive board and was appointed an honorary member in 2025.
The current rector of the Mozarteum Salzburg, Professor Elisabeth Gutjahr, said: ‘Reinhart von Gutzeit’s voice will resonate for a long time to come and in many places… Education was a matter close to his heart, a unifying force across generations, social groups, and cultures, the key to humanity, diversity, and a peaceful future. We remain deeply indebted to him.’
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