Rainer Honeck was born in Nenzing in 1961 and studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Edith Bertschinger and Alfred Staar.
In 1981 he became a first violin in the orchestra of the Vienna State Opera. In 1984 he became a member of the Vienna Philharmonic, where he was subsequently appointed concert master.
Alongside his orchestral duties Rainer Honeck appears as a soloist at leading music venues in Europe, America and Asia. His performance highlights have included solo engagements with the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, under leading conductors such as Herbert Blomstedt, Semyon Bychkov, Christoph von Dohnányi, Daniele Gatti, Valery Gergiev, Daniel Harding, Manfred Honeck, Mariss Jansons, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, Kirill Petrenko and Michael Tilson Thomas.
As the leader of the Wiener Virtuosen and primarius of Ensemble Wien and the Chamber Orchestra Vienna – Berlin he works intensively on chamber music projects.
Rainer Honeck plays the Stradivarius violin ‘Chaconne’ of 1725, made available to him thanks to the Austrian National Bank.
