Born in Graz, Austria, in 1948, Hans Peter Ochsenhofer studied violin and trumpet at the University of Music in Graz, Austria. He continued his violin studies with Prof. Franz Samohyl at the Vienna University of Music, and became a member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra in 1971. Several years later he became Second Principal Viola of the Vienna Symphony, also earning a diploma for viola with distinction, after working with Prof. Siegfried Führlinger in 1977.
Ochsenhofer joined the Vienna State Opera Orchestra in the same year and won the position of Associate Principal Viola in 1978. Subsequently , he won a position in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1980.
As an avid teacher, he became professor at the Vienna Conservatory of Music in1983, and was appointed a full professorship for viola at the Vienna National University of Music in 1993. To this date 33 of Ochsenhofer’s students have won positions in top orchestras all over Europe, ( e.g. 8 in the Vienna Philharmonic, 7 in the Vienna Symphony).
As a chamber musician he performed for many years as a member of the “Wiener Virtuosen” and is currently Violist of the “Vienna String Quartet”. With these ensembles he has toured, recorded, and participated in countless broadcasts and major festivals.
In 2005 he founded the chamber orchestra "Wiener Mozartisten" and started working as a conductor. He is one of the most sought after Austrian orchestral coaches, (“Gustav Mahler Orchestra”, “American Orchestra Academy” in Miami, “PMF”, “Attergau Orchesterinstut”, to name but a few).
The “Wiener Mozartisten” will be performing a series of concerts all over Austria in 2008. A CD production with Schubert works, (Ouverture c-minor – German Dances and Menuets) and the Dvorak String Serenade will be released in September 2008 (under the label “Camerata Tokyo”). This program was also the subject of a television (BKF) production. Recently a live- recording of the first concert on 12th December 2005 has appeared under the label “Gramola- Vienna”.
As a guest conductor, Ochsenhofer was invited to perform in the “Sofia Music Weeks” in June 2008. In July 2008 he had his Israel conducting debut with the “Young Israel Philharmonic Orchestra” (Haydn Symphony Nr.83 and Tschaikovsky Symphony Nr. 5 ), in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.