Meet some of the Irish thriving in Austria’s arts scene
World capital of culture: A mecca for Irish arts
Vienna has been considered a world capital of culture as far back as the 15th century, from the times of the Habsburgs and the height of Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The Austrian capital played an essential role as a leading European music centre, from the great age of Viennese Classicism through to the early part of the 20th century.
Many of the world’s greatest musicians and composers – including Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert – have called Vienna home and composed some of the world’s most recognisable pieces of music in this city.
Now, in the 21st century, Vienna is still a hub for artists, musicians and students alike. Below we meet just some of the many talented Irish artists who have chosen to make Austria their home, in order to make the most of the opportunities offered by the thriving arts scene and to study some of the world’s most prestigious music and arts university programmes.
Elaine Loebenstein – Irish collaborative pianist
From Ballyjamesduff in Co. Cavan, Elaine Loebenstein is a classical pianist and accompanist who has lived variously in Dublin, London, Glasgow and Sydney. She has been based in Vienna since 2017 with her Viennese husband Michael, who is director of the Austrian Film Museum (Österreichisches Filmmuseum) and their two children.
A trained accompanist, Elaine has a particular interest in classical improvisation and is renowned for her improvised soundtracks for silent film.
She has appeared at film and arts festivals worldwide including Viennale, Stummfilmtage Bonn, Giornate del cinema muto Pordenone, Orphans Festival NYC, the Galway Film Fleadh among others. She has played in prestigious venues including Sydney Opera House, Cathedral Hall Melbourne, the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, and at sell-out concerts in Vienna’s Konzerthaus.
In terms of solo and chamber music work, she has had numerous recital broadcasts on ABC Classic FM and ABC Radio National (Australia) and RTÉ Lyric FM. In 2024 she performed a number of programmes of chamber music championing the music of female Irish composers.
Miriam Kaczor – Irish-Polish flautist
The wonderfully talented flautist Miriam Kaczor was born in Szczecin Poland, and moved to Ireland with her parents in 2008, growing up in Co. Dublin. Ten years later in 2018, she became an Irish citizen, playing Amhrán na bhFiann at her own citizenship ceremony.
She now divides her time between Vienna, Dublin, Niederösterreich (Lower Austria) and Co. Wicklow. Miriam graduated from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, where she was a pupil of William Dowdall, and later from the Kunstuniversität Graz (University of Music and Performing Arts Graz) in the class of Erwin Klambauer.
With assistance from the Music Network Capital Scheme and The Arts Council, Miriam has had a decorated career - both in Ireland and abroad. She has appeared as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Ulster Orchestra, Irish Baroque Orchestra, Esker Festival Orchestra and Dublin Orchestral Players, and has had many concerts broadcast live on RTÉ Lyric FM. While outside of Ireland, Miriam has also performed in the UK, Europe, New York and Beijing.
As guest principal flute she has worked with the Irish Chamber Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchester, Münchner Kammerorchester, Haydn Philharmonie, RTÉ Concert Orchestra and Irish National Opera, among others.
Recently, Miriam and Elaine Loebenstein teamed up together and performed at Vienna’s Ehrbaar Saal, , showcasing the work of Irish female musicians and composers at their concert “Setting the Tone: Mná na hÉireann”. Additionally, Miriam regularly performs in Austria with another Vienna-based Irish pianist, Ellen Jansson, from Co. Cork.
Peter Joyce – Irish musician, conductor and composer
Peter Joyce is a prize-winning, pioneering Irish musician, conductor and composer from Co. Galway and now lives in Vienna, Austria. His musical identity has been strongly developed by his early experiences with jazz, music theory and his vigorous training in Viennese Classicism and Modernism.
Growing up, Peter studied clarinet and saxophone with Ciaran Wilde, and later clarinet with Fintan Sutton at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He is a music graduate of Trinity College Dublin, where his passion for composing, arranging and conducting began.
Peter recently became the first Irish person to complete the prestigious programme in Conducting at Vienna’s University of Music and Performing Arts (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien), where he has also studied composition simultaneously. As part of his graduation, Peter and his fellow graduates each conducted the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Großer Saal of Vienna’s Musikverein.
As with Elaine and Miriam, Peter has also maintained his connections to Ireland, despite living in Austria. He is a founder of the Esker Festival Orchestra, one of Europe's most exciting orchestras striving to provide the most beneficial musical experiences to talented young and emerging musicians, which will be performing in Dublin and Galway in August later this year.