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Verena Merstallinger finds music where words end.
Music with depth and distinction
Guitarist Verena Merstallinger, recipient of the Rotary Music Award, moves audiences with her playing, stage presence, and musical depth. Her concerts are atmospheric experiences that resonate long after—as she demonstrated in October 2022 at the Haspa Guitarcup Hamburg, where she won 2nd prize.
verena.merstallinger@gmx.at
ABOUT ME
Education at höchstem Niveau...
Solo Programs
Curated concert evenings that combine the classical repertoire with modern discoveries.
Chamber Music
Interdisciplinary projects and ensemble work. A collaboration between theater and dance.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Tonal Diversity and künstlerisches statement
A central concern of hers is making female composers audible and visible. In her programs, 19th-century music meets contemporary works—through changing guitars, tunings, and playing techniques, a sonic mosaic is created that celebrates diversity and demands virtuosity.
In 2024, her first CD 'concerning normal and right' was released—a musical statement about breaking away from customary standards. The recording primarily features works by female composers and moves beyond classical norms—whether in terms of instruments, gender roles, or concert rituals.
REPERTOIRE
Chamber Music, ensembles, and performance art
In addition to her solo work, Verena is a dedicated chamber musician. In Duo Merors with Lorenzo Orsenigo, she explores the repertoire for guitar and percussion—often incorporating performative, contextual, or improvised elements. Together with Julian Richter, she forms the Capreolus Duo, which made its debut in 2024.
She has performed with the Ensemble Da Pace in venues such as St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, and with the Lizard Ensemble, she dedicates herself to experimental music on the electric guitar. She gained orchestral experience performing works by Friedrich Gulda and Heitor Villa-Lobos.
Grenzen überschreiten – lehren and Commemoration
Verena loves the new, the unconventional, and that which crosses boundaries.
At the Landestheater Linz, she appeared in Johann Nestroy's play Love Stories and Marriage Matters (Liebesgeschichten und Heiratssachen). Together with actress Lena Sophie Knapp and Lorenzo Orsenigo, she developed the project Dreams are the Nightly Mirrors of the Soul (Träume sind die nächtlichen Spiegel der Seele)..
Her commitment to guitar music extends far beyond the stage: as a co-founder of the 'Linz Guitar Festival' association, she plays a key role in shaping the regional cultural landscape. The association organizes not only the annual festivalbut also five additional high-caliber guitar concerts throughout the year.
In projects such as The Singing Horses of Buchenwald (Die singenden Pferde von Buchenwald) , she also engages deeply with music during the National Socialist era—approaching it with artistic clarity and responsibility.
Currently, she teaches guitar at the state music schools in Sierning and Steinbach/Steyr, where she inspires the next generation of musicians.