Karl-Heinz Schütz

Karl-Heinz Schütz is principal flute of the Vienna Philharmonic. He studied with Eva Amsler, Aurèle Nicolet and Philippe Bernold in France, graduating in 2000 from the Lyon Conservatory (CNSMD de Lyon). Prior to graduation he won first prizes in the Carl Nielsen International Competition in 1998 and the 1st International Flute Competition in Kraków in 1999. Since 2011 Karl-Heinz Schütz has been a member of the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera, and since 2015 a member of the Vienna Philharmonic. 

As a soloist he has performed with prestigious ensembles such as the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields under noted conductors including Riccardo Muti, Daniel Barenboim, Neville Marriner and Fabio Luisi. With his own Ensemble Wien – Berlin and with other chamber groups he has appeared at festivals such as the Salzburg and the Bregenz Festivals, the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, the Festival Radio France Occitanie Montpellier and the Kusatsu International Summer Music Academy & Festival. 

His discography covers a wide repertoire, recorded for Camerata Tokyo, Chandos Records and Naxos. Plans for 2023 include a recording of Carl Nielsen’s Flute Concerto with Fabio Luisi and the Danish National Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon. 

Karl-Heinz Schütz is a professor at the Music and Arts Private University of Vienna, gives regular international masterclasses and teaches at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Academy. In 2019 and 2022 he was chair of the jury for the flute competition at the Carl Nielsen International Competition. In his home town of Landeck, in Tyrol, he is the artistic director of the Horizonte Landeck Festival.