ABOUT

Christoph Anzböck is a versatile and internationally sought-after musician, born in a small town in Lower Austria and now based in Basel and Vienna.

His artistic work as a performer and a musical director is primarily focused on exploring the vocal and instrumental repertoire of the 17th and 18th century, through the lens of drawing connections between music and other artistic forms to better present the intellectual and emotional aspects of this music in a contemporary context. Sacred and secular vocal music are of special interest to him, as well as the oeuvre of pieces for solo keyboard instruments. Christoph is also deeply passionate about the rediscovery and performance of previously unnoticed or forgotten works.

In particular, he is concerned with the exploration of the largely ignored dramatic repertoire that emerged within the Viennese court between the late 17th and early 18th centuries. In recent years, Christoph has staged successful new productions of Le due passioni (Marc'Antonio Ziani, Vienna 1705 | Basel 2018) and the Oratorio di Sant'Orsola (Carlo Agostino Badia, Vienna 1694 | Basel 2021), which together represent the first fruits borne of his research into this long-forgotten musical canon. Together with violinist Eva Saladin, Christoph Anzböck founded the ensemble IL FUOCO ETERNO in 2023 to rekindle the fire for this particularly fascinating episode in European music history and to make the repertoire accessible to a wider audience.

As the organist and director of music for the Mariastein Abbey, he is responsible for organising, directing, and performing music for various liturgical celebrations throughout the year, as well as serving as the chair and artistic director of the committee for the "Mariasteiner Konzerte" concert cycle. Since 2022, he has combined this task with directing the choirs and scholae of the parish of Muri in Aargau.

Christoph Anzböck has performed with renowned early music ensembles (Abendmusiken Basel, Orchestra of the J. S. Bach Foundation, etc.) and acted as musical assistant for music theatre productions (Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, Heidelberg Spring, etc.). He has also made numerous recordings and broadcasts with SRF, ORF, SR and Coviello Classics. In addition to his artistic work, Christoph is also active as a researcher investigating questions of performance practice and style, especially those related to thoroughbass and its conventions. Christoph has been awarded prizes in significant competitions, including the "Daniel Herz Organ Competition", and the Saarländischer Rundfunk’s "Förderpreis Alte Musik".

In 2018, he completed a master’s degree with distinction, studying thoroughbass and ensemble direction at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Jörg-Andreas Bötticher and Andrea Marcon. He has also previously studied at the University of Vienna, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and the University of the Arts Bremen.