Ioan Holender is a Romanian born Austrian opera administrator.
Background
Holender was born in Timişoara, Romania. His father owned a factory in Timișoara, which was expropriated in 1948. He worked as a tennis coach and a director's assistant until he and his family emigrated to Austria, where his mother was residing.
Education
Holender studied mechanical engineering at the Polytechnic University of Timișoara.
Career
His family is of Jewish ancestry, and growing up, he spoke three languages. He intended to continue his engineering studies, but became interested in singing. After completing his music studies, he was an operatic baritone and concert singer with the Klagenfurt Stadttheater.
In 1966, he began to work at the Starka theatrical agency, which he eventually took over and whose prestige he increased. In 1988, Eberhard Waechter named Holender as Secretary-General of the Vienna State Opera, effective as of 1991. Eventually, Holender dissociated himself from the Starka business.
After Waechter's death in February 1992, Holender became Director of the Vienna State Opera on 1 April 1992. He also led the Vienna Volksoper for 4 years simultaneously. Holender's contract was extended three times and concluded on 31 August 2010.
He is the longest-serving general director in the history of the Vienna State Opera. Ioan Holender is advisor of the Metropolitan Opera New York and the Spring Festival Tokyo and artistic director of the George Enescu Festival Bucharest. He is a lecturer at the University of Vienna and at the Danube University Krems.
Further he is a jury member for several international singing-competitions. He also has his own cultural-magazine on the Austrian TV-channel ServusTV.
Achievements
Connections
Married Angelika Holender, August 13, 1991. 3 children.
Honorary citizen of Timișoara; Grand Merit Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Gold Decoration of Merit of the state Wien; Great Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Order of the Star of Romania; Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art; Order of Merit of the Italian Republic; Cross of Merit; Order of Arts and Letters; Medal of Honour; Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria; Order of the Rising Sun
Honorary citizen of Timișoara; Grand Merit Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Gold Decoration of Merit of the state Wien; Great Golden Medal of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Order of the Star of Romania; Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art; Order of Merit of the Italian Republic; Cross of Merit; Order of Arts and Letters; Medal of Honour; Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria; Order of the Rising Sun