When she writes music, she does so feverishly and under intense pressure. Born in Graz in 1968, Olga Neuwirth is one of Austria's most successful composers – a versatile citizen of the world who studied music, painting and film in Vienna, San Francisco and Paris. Inspired by Adriana Hölszky, Tristan Murail and Luigi Nono, among others, her work consistently transcends genre boundaries and incorporates literature, film, visual arts and natural sciences.

She achieved early success with Elfriede Jelinek, for instance in the minioperas «Der Wald» and «Körperliche Veränderungen» as well as in the musical theatre piece «Bählamms Fest». The opera «Monster’s Paradise», again based on a libretto by Jelinek, will follow in Hamburg in 2026. Neuwirth has composed for leading institutions such as the New York Philharmonic, the Lucerne Festival and the London Symphony Orchestra, while also being involved in the jazz and improvisation scene.

She has received numerous awards for her interdisciplinary work, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and the Great Austrian State Prize. Her music has been performed worldwide, from Carnegie Hall to the Royal Albert Hall. With «Orlando» in 2019, she was the first woman to realise a composition commission from the Vienna State Opera for the main stage. Since 2021, she has been a professor at the mdw in Vienna. In 2026, she will influence the composer conductor workshop Ink Still Wet in Grafenegg as composer in residence.