Viktor Toepelmann

Viktor Toepelmann is a Lecturer in Historical Performance at the Royal Academy of Music and Taiwan National University of the Arts, specializing in 18th-century music culture. His academic work bridges performance practice and musicological research with active roles as cellist in L’orfeo Barockorchester Linz and Pera Ensemble.

Education:

• Bachelor of Music, King's College London
• Master Alte Music (Early Music), Musikhochschule Köln
• Master in Performance and Research, Royal Academy of Music

His research centers on Salzburg's intellectual landscape during Mozart's era, challenging traditional historiography through documentation of Enlightenment influences and Empfindsamkeit in Catholic Southern Germany. Key investigations include the Mozart family's library reconstruction, cross-regional cultural transfer, and analysis of local educational texts demonstrating sensibility aesthetics.

His doctoral thesis (2016) synthesizes evidence from book trade records, theatrical repertoires, and portrait collections to prove Salzburg's participation in broader European cultural modernity. Performance activities inform his scholarly approach, reflecting his philosophy of integrating 'head, heart and hand' in musical practice.

Professional Activities:

• Cellist: L’orfeo Barockorchester Linz
• Viol/Cello performer: Pera Ensemble
• Co-founder: Duo Corona Musica (with Gerhart Darmstadt)
• Director: Taiwan Baroque Orchestra
• Choir Director: Vokal-Ensemble München (www.vokal-ensemble-muenchen.de)