biography

Bettina Schmitt is of German descent. She grew up in Italy and has lived in Vienna (Austria) since 1985. From 1980 to 1985 she studied violin performance at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Music Conservatory in Milan, and from 1985 to 1991 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In 1991 she studied with Prof. Dorothy Delay at the Aspen Music Festival and School. She studied conducting from 1998 to 2004 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna as well as in numerous master classes.

After 1984 she performed intensively as a violinist, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician, with concerts in Austria, Italy and Germany. In 1999 and 2000 she gave numerous solo recitals as well as master classes in Japan and Korea.

She has long-year experience with student and youth orchestras, having taught and conducted at summer courses in Lilienfeld, Austria (1994-2005) and the music school in Tulln, Austria (since 1992), where she has directed the Youth Symphony Orchestra since 2006. In 2008 she founded the "Orchestra Festival of the Music Schools of Lower Austria", together with the music school administration of Lower Austria. In addition, she has taught violin performance since 1992 at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Since 2001 she has had her own class, with many students who have won performance prizes and completed their performance degrees

Since 2000 she has been the chief conductor and artistic director of the Marchfeld Philharmonic, which performs regularly in Austria and Slovakia and has had tours to China and Japan. She has also conducted the Gwang-Ju Women’s Chamber Orchestra (Korea); in the Czech Republic: the Prague Chamber Orchestra, the Bohuslav Martinu Symphony Orchestra of Zlin, the Karlsbad Symphony Orchestra, the Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava, the South Bohemian Philharmonic of Budweis, and the Opera Orchestra of Liberec; in Slovakia: the State Opera Orchestra of Kosice; and in Germany: the Northwest German Philharmonic in Herne, as well as the Johann Strauss Orchestra in Coburg.

Her repertoire includes works, baroque to contemporary, for chamber orchestra and large symphonic orchestra, as well as opera and operetta. She has worked with a number of singers from both the Viennese State Opera and Volksoper. Since 2007 she has been the artistic director of the chamber music concert series at the Festival Palace Hof in Marchfeld. In 2009 she was awarded the Culture Prize of the State of Lower Austria for her artistic direction of the Marchfeld Philharmonic.