Josef Haller

Josef Haller is a South Tyrolean pianist, composer, and Senior Lecturer in Piano and New Music at Mozarteum University's Department of Music Education in Innsbruck. Affiliated with the School of Music & Art Education since 2020, he bridges classical traditions with contemporary experimental practices through performance, composition, and curation.

His educational journey spans the C. Monteverdi Conservatory in Bolzano, Mozarteum Innsbruck (Instrumental Pedagogy and Piano Performance), Royal Academy of Music Aarhus (Master's in Contemporary Piano and Composition), and Tyrolean State Conservatory (Jazz Piano). Masterclasses with Arie Vardi and Tamara Stefanovich further shaped his artistic approach.

Haller's research explores genre-crossing eclecticism through projects like Ensemble WirkWerk and the Innsbruck concert series noiz//elektrorauschen. His work dismantles boundaries between classical, electronic, jazz, metal, and world music traditions, rejecting simplistic 'crossover' labels in favor of organic musical synthesis. This manifests in idiosyncratic classical interpretations and compositions spanning noise textures to microtonal lamentations.

His compositions performed internationally at venues like ORF Landesstudio Tirol and Hong Kong-Vienna Music Festival demonstrate thematic depth, from cellular biology metaphors (Diamerismoi) to political commentary (Rhapsody in Black addressing violence in society). The body of work reveals consistent exploration of structural transformation, cultural hybridity, and expanded instrumental techniques.

• 2nd prize at Wendl&Lung Young Pianist Competition Vienna
• Lothar-Bandermann Prize of Vienna Young Pianists
• Hilde Zach Composition Scholarship (Innsbruck)
• Kraftwerk Neue Musik Tirol scholarship
• Special prize at Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition

Haller curates the experimental sound art series noiz//elektrorauschen, fostering innovation across instrumental composition, electroacoustics, noise, and visual arts. His collaborative projects with ensembles like Sonarkraft and konstellation demonstrate commitment to interdisciplinary creation. Current research focuses on integrating metal subgenres with contemporary classical frameworks and developing pedagogical approaches for genre-fluid musical expression.