BIO

Michael Pinkas, born in Prague, is a composer, music theorist, lecturer, and choirmaster. In 2023, he graduated from the mdw - University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna in Composition and Music Theory, Major in Music Theory (Mag. art.), studying under the guidance of Prof. Martin Lichtfuss in Composition, Prof. Gesine Schröder, and Prof. Annegret Huber in Music Theory. For his excellent achievements in the master's degree, he received the Prize of Honour 2023. He is a lecturer at mdw in the Department of Composition Studies and Music Production and is currently working on his doctoral dissertation in music theory at mdw, focusing on material construction and performativity in contemporary music. Since 2025, he is the project leader within the IN.TUNE University Alliance, working on the development of new educational formats. His compositions are published by Universal Edition.

He composes music for orchestras and choirs, including the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir of the Janáček Opera at the National Theatre in Brno; for ensembles such as the Salon Orchestra St. Moritz, Krása Quartet, and the String Quartet of the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra; and for soloists, including Jacqueline Kopacinski, Alexandra Juszczak, Magdalena Kołcz-Wrzesień, and Ludmila Pavlová. His compositions have been performed in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Switzerland and are published by Universal Edition in Vienna.

As a music theorist, he has participated in conferences at the University of Music and Theater Leipzig, University of Music Freiburg, Mozarteum University Salzburg, and Basel Academy of Music. His music theoretical research focuses on: theory of harmony in Central Europe around 1900, and the musical analysis of contemporary music.

He is a member of the Austrian Composers Association in Vienna, AT; the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (GMTH) in Berlin, DE; and Asociace hudebních umělců a vědců (AHUV) in Prague, CZ.