Michael Wiener
Michael Wiener, born in 1975 in Germany, combines his interest in contemporary music, especially composition, with his academic background in international law.
From 2002 until 2006, he was a member of the composition class of Alexander Müllenbach at the Conservatory of Luxembourg, where he received a composition certificate ‘supérieur avec la qualification très bien’. He was also awarded prizes at the composition competitions Carl von Ossietzky, Engelbert Humperdinck and Artistes en herbe. His choir piece ‘Major autem ex his est caritas’ has been chosen as a winner in the composition contest of Universal Sacred Music in New York City and was recorded by Harold Rosenbaum with the New York Virtuoso Singers (published on CD by Soundbrush Records). In addition, his piece ‘Camino de Santiago’ was recorded on CD by the female ensemble Otto Voci.
His compositions were selected in calls for scores by Vox Novus, Via Nova Choir, Fidelio Trio, the
Choral Composer/Conductor Collective and Voice for the Voiceless. His choir works featured in international festivals, including the Festival of Universal Sacred Music in New York, Rhythms of One World in Geneva, Schubertiade in Bienne, Biennale d’art sacré contemporain in Paris, and the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music.
In addition, he completed his doctoral thesis at the law faculty of the University of Trier and also holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of London. In his LL.M. thesis, he analyzed legal notions and copyright issues in the last piano sonata of Viktor Ullmann (1898-1944), thus exploring further the links between music and law. Since 2011, he has also been a visiting fellow of Kellogg College at the University of Oxford.