Paul Hertel

Paul Hertel is an Austrian composer whose artistic career is defined by an unusually broad spectrum spanning concert music, music theatre, and film and media productions. Following studies in composition at the Vienna University of Music and a doctorate in theatre studies, he developed an approach that consistently combines musical invention with a strong sense of dramaturgy—an artistic perspective that has shaped his work ever since.

Since the early 1980s, Paul Hertel has worked continuously for theatres as well as for film and television productions in the German-speaking world and internationally. Alongside this applied work, he has composed a substantial body of contemporary concert music, performed at festivals and concerts throughout Europe and beyond. This dual focus on commissioned media and stage music on the one hand and free contemporary composition on the other is characteristic of his oeuvre and contributes to its stylistic range and formal independence.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Hertel was particularly active in the field of musical theatre and musicals, including works presented at the Vienna Festival. In subsequent years, his focus increasingly returned to music theatre in a narrower sense. A key work from this period is the children’s opera Elster and Parzival, premiered in 2003 at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (published by Sikorski, Hamburg). More recently, his attention has turned to chamber opera, with projects such as Der Mozartautomat and The Empress (Die Kaiserin).

Paul Hertel has received numerous distinctions for his work, including an honorary degree as “Best Composer of Film Music,” and he was elected to the Freie Akademie der Künste Rhein-Neckar for one of his film compositions. In 2025, the Republic of Austria honoured his artistic achievements and long-standing commitment to cultural life by awarding him the honorary professional title of Professor.

In addition to his work as a composer, Paul Hertel has for many years been deeply committed to the promotion of contemporary music and to representing the interests of composers. Since June 2000, he has served as a member of the board of AKM as a representative of composers of serious music, and since 2018 he has been Vice President of AKM as well as a member of the Supervisory Board of austromechana. His work combines artistic practice, institutional engagement, and music-theatrical thinking into an overall profile that has made him an influential figure in Austrian musical life.