Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Matthias Bertsch

Head of the Motion-Emotion Lab at the Department of Music Physiology | mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna

 

Focus Areas and Teaching Objectives

Musicians and their instruments form an integrated system in the process of sound production. Dr. Matthias Bertsch’s teaching and research aim to optimize practicing and training processes using sensory-motor methods (e.g., biofeedback), with a strong emphasis on enhancing self-perception and perceptual sensitivity in order to achieve nuanced sound expression.

His work centers on practice-oriented empirical studies related to musical performance, playing techniques, and the qualitative characteristics of instruments, as well as their acoustic and psychoacoustic perception. Within the Department of Music Physiology, research findings from sensory and physiological studies are applied to identify, visualize, and reduce physical tension and performance-related stress.

Dr. Bertsch provides individual supervision for scientific and artistic research projects (bachelor's, master's, and doctoral theses), particularly in the areas of physiology, psychology, and acoustics in the context of music-making (see list of supervised theses).


Academic Background

Matthias Bertsch completed his degree in Musicology at the University of Vienna (Mag. phil. 1992) and earned his PhD (Dr. phil. 1999) in the fields of Musical Acoustics and Musical Physiology. In 2003, he received his habilitation in Musical Acoustics and was granted the venia docendi (teaching qualification).

 

Academic Career at the Institute of Musical Acoustics / Wiener Klangstil (1993–2007)

From 1993 to 2008, Dr. Bertsch was affiliated with the Institute of Musical Acoustics (IWK) at the mdw. In 2003, he was appointed deputy head of the institute. During this period, his research focused on the physics and physiology of sound production, psychoacoustic measurement, and comparative studies of orchestral timbre, particularly the “Viennese Sound Style”, which he investigated through acoustic and perceptual experiments.

He taught core subjects such as Musical Instrument Studies and The Phenomenon of Sound, as well as seminars in systematic musicology, and published widely on the relationship between instrument design and expressive potential.


Role at the Department of Music Physiology (since 2008)

Since 2008, Dr. Bertsch has held a research and teaching position at the Department of Music Physiology within the Institute for Music and Movement Education/Rhythmics and Music Physiology. He founded and directs the Motion-Emotion Lab, an interdisciplinary platform for research into body-sound interaction, biofeedback, and musicians’ health.

Driven by a deep interest in how psychophysiological processes affect music-making and perception, he has expanded his qualifications through advanced studies in bodywork techniques (e.g., Shiatsu) and certification as a biofeedback trainer through the European Biofeedback Academy.

He regularly teaches scientific seminars and supervises interdisciplinary theses and dissertations that connect physiological, psychological, and artistic aspects of performance science.

Since 2009, he has also served as President of the Austrian Society for Music and Medicine (ÖGfMM).


Musical Practice

Matthias Bertsch began playing the trumpet in his youth in Baden, Germany. Deeply rooted in musical practice, he has performed in symphonic orchestras, the German Federal Army Staff Band, jazz ensembles, and brass quintets. Currently, he performs with the jazz quartet Whisky and Wine in the Vienna region.

 

Contact:

Phone: +43 1 - 71155 3929 Office
Phone: +43 1 - 71155 3935 Motion-Emotion-Lab

Email: bertsch@mdw.ac.at

Office / Postal Address:
Anton-v-Webern-Platz 1 (K0109)
1030 Vienna

Website: matthias-bertsch.at

MDW online profile

Teaching Locations:

MOTION-EMOTION-LAB at the Campus of MDW (Anton-v-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna), in the Future Art Lab building, 2nd floor overlooking the campus courtyard (Room AW V 02 27).
In case of hybrid events, online via this Zoom link.

Office & Meeting Room at Anton-v-Webern-Platz 1, Room K0109 (in the K building wing, 1st floor, next to the lecture hall).
By arrangement, the class can be held hybrid via this Zoom link.

Public and Academic Networks: