Music of Boely, Franck, Pierneé, Fuchs, and Schmidt
Peter Planyavsky was born in Vienna in 1947 and became a student of Anton Heiller at the University for Music and Drama when he was 12. He graduated with the Master’s Diploma in Organ (1966) and the Diploma in Church Music (1967). He then worked for one year in the workshop of a major Austrian organ builder, and for another year he served as Abbey Organist at Schlägl, Austria.
In 1969, Mr. Planyavsky was appointed Cathedral Organist at St. Stephan’s Cathedral, Vienna. From 1983 until 1990 he was the Cathedral’s Music Director with responsibility for choral and organ programs, which in Austria are traditionally held as two separate positions. In 2004, he decided to terminate his affiliation with the Cathedral.
Since 1980, Mr. Planyavsky has been Professor for Organ and Improvisation at the University for Music and Drama in Vienna, also functioning as Head of the Church Music Department from 1996 to 2003. He also undertakes a full schedule as a recitalist, a coach in workshops and master classes, and a member of juries. He has toured North America, Japan, Australia, South Africa and most of Europe, and has recorded many CDs and records.