Artistic Director

Mario Aschauer is an Austrian conductor, harpsichordist, and musicologist whose work bridges historically informed performance and rigorous scholarship.

He began his conducting career at just seventeen years old, earning a degree from the Linz Bruckner Conservatory and leading performances of Mozart’s Symphony in G Minor and Beethoven’s Mass in C Major. Soon after, he founded Ensemble NovAntique Linz, dedicated to rediscovering Viennese repertoire of the late 18th century and presenting modern premieres, including Florian Leopold Gassmann’s oratorio La Betulia Liberata.

Now based in Houston, Texas, Mario is the founder and artistic director of Harmonia Stellarum Houston—an ensemble modeled after the great court chapels of the seventeenth century and made up of vocal and instrumental virtuosos performing on period instruments. Their programming explores lesser-known repertoire and presents popular masterworks in new contexts, combining historical authenticity with artistic innovation.

As a soloist and continuo player on historical keyboard instruments, Mario has an international profile. He has performed at major festivals such as Resonanzen Wien, Bach Fest Leipzig, and Itinéraire Baroque en Périgord Vert. His discography includes Keyboard Music from Codex Vienna, Minorite Convent, 714 (Aulicus Classics, 2022) and Veracini et al.: Sonatas for Chalumeau and Basso Continuo (Aulicus Classics, 2023).

Mario is also a respected editor of historically informed editions for German publisher Bärenreiter. His acclaimed publications of works by Beethoven, Schubert, and Mozart have been noted for their scholarly rigor and performance sensitivity.

Mario is Associate Professor of Music at Sam Houston State University and teaches harpsichord at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Vienna as well as terminal degrees in harpsichord performance from the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna and in conducting from the Linz Bruckner Conservatory. His teaching and research have been recognized with numerous fellowships and grants, and he regularly lectures and performs internationally.