Christoph Koncz’s journey from Vienna Philharmonic violinist to maestro

Christoph Koncz’s move to the podium began from one of the best seats in the orchestra. As leader of the Vienna Philharmonic’s second violins, he watched conductors at close range and heard performances from a position acoustically close to theirs.

That experience became especially valuable when Joana Mallwitz had to cancel the final two performances of Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” at this year’s Salzburg Festival because of maternity leave. Koncz stepped in, drawing on his knowledge of the orchestra and his own path from violinist to conductor.

His career has advanced quickly on paper. After serving at the Vienna Philharmonic, he became chief conductor in Mulhouse and will move next season to the Linz Bruckner Orchestra. But Koncz rejects the idea that the transition happened overnight. “In truth, it has been a very long development,” he told Die Presse. He comes from a musical family, and his father is a conductor. His brother Stephan plays cello with the Berlin Philharmonic.

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In truth, it has been a very long development.

Their father encouraged both sons to think about the questions behind orchestral music from an early age: why a composer wrote something, how a phrase unfolds and where its most important note lies. That helped foster Koncz’s wish to study conducting as well as violin.

He says playing in the orchestra gave him an “incredible treasure”: constant exposure to exceptional colleagues, singers and conductors. From his chair, he could observe not only eye contact and sound, but also how conductors handled information and how musicians reacted. Those observations taught him about group dynamics, rehearsal technique and the relationship a conductor must build with an orchestra.

Koncz tested that relationship at the Vienna State Opera, where he conducted Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” before former colleagues. He says the difference between playing and conducting with them felt relatively small, although the conductor has more to control.

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For me, playing in the orchestra was an incredible treasure.