Ernst Kovacic

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Ernst Kovacic, born 12 April 1943 in Kapfenberg, Styria, is an Austrian violinist and conductor. He studied violin, piano and organ, and also composition, at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna and has taught there since 1975. He won first prize in the violin category at the Maria Canals International Music Competition in 1971 and third prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 1972. He plays a 1753 Guadagnini violin. He is a prominent performer of new music, and many contemporary composers have written works for him.

Kovacic has performed with ensembles such as Northern Sinfonia, Britten Sinfonia, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, St Paul Chamber Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Modern, Camerata Salzburg, Camerata Bern, and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Since 2008 he has been the violinist of the Zebra Trio with Steven Dann and Anssi Karttunen. From 1996 to 1998 he was artistic director of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and since 2007 he has been artistic director of the Leopoldinum Chamber Orchestra in Wrocław. Together with Beat Furrer, he directs the Impuls seminars for new music in Graz. He curates programs for several festivals, including the Brücken festival in Mürztal, Styria, and the Leo Festival in Wrocław, Poland. In 2022 he served on the jury of the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition.