English Information

Österreichischer Komponistenbund - The Austrian Composers' Society
Pushing Austria's Contemporary Music Forward

The Austrian Composers‘ Society (ÖKB) was founded in 1913. Led by the vision to improve artistic exchange among composers the ÖKB is the first and eldest representative body of composers in Austria. Comparable to a “chamber” the ÖKB’s main focus is to take care of the creative and economical as wells as legal and social issues, interests and concerns of its members.

Numerous projects run by the ÖKB such as composing competitions and call for works, seminars, CD and music video productions, or national and international artistic exchange programmes aim to encourage contemporary music creation in Austria. In recent years, through consequent communication with politicians, cultural leaders, leaders in broadcasting media, and experts in various specialised fields (e.g. authors’ rights and copyrights), the ÖKB has established a respective lobby for the Austrian contemporary music scene.

Today, the ÖKB is representing more than 450 members working in various music backgrounds. Besides Austrian composers and foreign composers living in Austria, musicians, music teachers or musicologists, who are involved in the contemporary Austrian music scene, can become members – not depending on musical genre, age or gender. Students engaged in contemporary music are as well very welcome to join. Since April 2004 Salzburg composer and Mozarteum professor Klaus Ager is chairing the ÖKB. His mission is to establish and intensify relations to equivalent and sister associations all across Europe.

Creative, Innovative, with Impact – Our Projects
- “Jugend komponiert“ – composing competition for school children
- “lauschergreifend.at“ – moderated music Podcast on the Internet
- Austrian Composer Database – digital accessibility of Austrian composers’ biographies and works (in cooperation with mica – music information centre austria)
- Herbert-von-Karajan composition competition for scholarship holders
- Various CD productions
- Austrian Music Days in Bulgaria
- “Nordland” – composers tour and exchange project together with several Northern European partners and INÖK (the Society of Lower Austrian Composers)

Focused on European Networking
The ÖKB is strongly engaged in the collaboration and gathering process of composers from all across Europe. The European Composers Congress initiated by the ÖKB in cooperation with VIENNA MOZARTYEAR 2006 led to the foundation of the “European Composers’ Forum (ECF)” - the association of art & classical music composers of Europe shortly after. Seated in Vienna, ÖKB president Klaus Ager is chairing the ECF, too. Since March 2007 all European composers across the genres have joined together in a lobbying umbrella, the “European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA)“ which is addressing towards Brussels and EU cultural policy. The ÖKB is one of the initiative motors ECSA as well.

The current Chairman is:
President: Univ.-Prof. Klaus Ager

The ÖKB is member of:
European Composers’ Forum (ECF)
Federation of Film & Audiovisual Composers of Europe (FFACE)
Alliance of Popular Music Composers of Europe (APCOE)
European Composer & Songwriter Alliance (ECSA)
Austrian Music Council (ÖMR)