Gerd Kühr, born in 1952 in Austria, completed a composition degree at the Mozarteum Salzburg under Josef Friedrich Doppelbauer and Hans Werner Henze in Cologne as well as a conductor's degree under Gerhard Wimberger (Mozarteum) and Sergiu Celibidache. From 1992 until 1994, Kühr held a visiting professorship for composition at the Mozarteum, and after 1994 in Graz. Since 1995, he has held a full university professorship for composition and music theory at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Graz.

His international breakthrough was the debut performance of the opera "Stallerhof" (libretto by Franz Xaver Kroetz) 1988 at the 1st Münchener Biennale (with further performances in Germany, Austria and Switzerland). In 1992, Wien Modern presented numerous works from Gerd Kühr as part of the program "Vertreter der jungen Generation" (Representatives of the Young Generation).

The opera "Tod und Teufel" ("Death and Devil"; libretto by Peter Turrini) followed in the year 1999 at the Opera House Graz. Further highlights of his musical creation were the two portrait concerts in the series "Next Generation" at the Salzburger Festspiele 2000, his influence as "composer in residence" at the Vienna Concert Society 2001/2002 (Chamber Orchestra of the Vienna Symphony), in 2003 a personale at the festival "styriarte", and in 2005 the Gerd Kühr Project at the steirischer herbst.

Also with the positioning of debut performances, Kühr makes a lasting impression and can always count on the close attention of a very interested audience. So it was in the Mozart Year 2006 that "Movimenti" for violin and Orchestra was heard for the first time at the Wiener Musikverein. During the Salzburger Festspiele 2006, "Stop the Piano" was received with enthusiasm by both the audience and the critics.

In Munich in 2008, Gerd Kühr's musical rendition of a Magnificat (Introductio – Meditatio – Magnificat – Epilogus) had a successful debut performance. In March 2009, "reihenweise", a composition commissioned by the ensemble "die reihe" (for the celebration concert "50th Anniversary of the Ensemble die reihe") premiered in the Wiener Konzerthaus.

Gerd Kühr´s new work for eight tuba players, "Laute(r) Röhren", a piece commissioned by kunsthaus muerz, had its premiere performance in Mürzzuschlag, in October 2010. In November 2011, Gerd Kühr´s "Música Pura" (commissioned by the Essl Collection for WIEN MODERN 2011) had its world premiere at Schömer Haus. Gerd Kühr conducted the Ensemble "die reihe". The program also included Friedrich Cerha´s "Quellen" (Sources) as well as music from the English Renaissance in contemporary arrangements.

In 2012 Gerd Kühr was awarded the Austrian Art Prize (for Music) and the Andrzej-Dobrowolski-Prize for Composition (granted by the Province of Styria) in 2014.

In January 2013 Gerd Kühr´s work "JETZT WOHIN? SPURENSUCHE für Sprecher, Chor und Orchester auf Texte von Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine und Georg Christoph Lichtenberg" was performed (Musikverein Vienna).

Gerd Kühr created numerous commissioned works (for orchestra, ensemble, chamber music, choir) that were performed among others at the Wien Modern, Almeida Festival, Huddersfield Festival, steirischen herbst, musica viva, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, and the Bregenzer Festspiele. Kühr has worked artistically with numerous ensembles and soloists, among others with Ensemble Modern, ensemble xx.jahrhundert, Klangforum Wien, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Bavarian Radio Choir, with Ulf Schirmer, Emilio Pomárico, Bertrand de Billy, Stefan Asbury, HK Gruber, Dennis Russell Davis, Friedrich Cerha, Lothar Zagrosek, Oliver Knussen, Arturo Tamayo, as well as Reto Bieri, Paul Meyer, Heinrich Schiff, Stefan Vladar, Florian Kitt, Markus Hinterhäuser and Patricia Kopatchinskaja.

Gerd Kühr will be present at impuls from February 13th to 17th.