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Oliver Vitouch elected to lead Vienna’s music university
The former Klagenfurt rector will take office in October 2027.
Oliver Vitouch has been unanimously elected as the next rector of mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. His four-year term will begin on October 1, 2027, succeeding Ulrike Sych, who has led the university since 2015.
The decision, announced after the October 31 vote, brings an experienced university leader with a background in psychology and music to one of Austria’s major performing-arts institutions. It also establishes a transition period of almost a year before the new administration takes office.
Born in Vienna in 1971, Vitouch studied psychology and pursued clarinet studies at the Vienna conservatory, the predecessor of today’s Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna. His academic work includes a doctorate and habilitation in music psychology at the University of Vienna.
He chaired the University of Klagenfurt’s senate from 2006 to 2012 and served as rector there from 2012 to 2024. Between 2016 and 2024, he also held president and vice-president roles in Universities Austria, bringing experience of national higher-education policy alongside institutional management.
At mdw, the portfolio extends well beyond instrumental training. The university has approximately 3,000 students from 72 countries, with 123 programmes across 25 departments. Its constituent areas include the Max Reinhardt Seminar and the Film Academy Vienna, connecting music with drama, film and related artistic disciplines.
The appointment therefore concerns both artistic education and the organisation of a varied university community. Vitouch’s combination of musical training, psychological scholarship and administrative leadership is central to the background he brings to that task.
The election does not change the current leadership immediately. Sych remains rector during the transition, while preparations for the incoming term will include the formation of the future rectorate. The October 2027 start date distinguishes the appointment announcement from the actual transfer of responsibility.