Elizabeth Mortimer
About Me
Hearing a performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto as a teenager made Elizabeth Mortimer decide to learn that instrument and she long treasured an ambition to play in an orchestra. That dream was, however, not compatible with studying for a combined honours degree in foreign languages and linguistics; nevertheless while still a student at the University of Surrey in Guildford, England, Elizabeth Mortimer came to Salzburg during university vacations to work first in the News and Current Affairs Department, then the Sound Archives of ORF (the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation).
This also marked the beginning of her contact with the Salzburg Festival as she was responsible for preparing recordings of Festival performances and their dispatch to radio stations throughout the world as part of the International Programme Exchange.
After completing her studies and receiving her degree from the University of Surrey Elizabeth Mortimer worked for the Press Office of the Salzburg Festival. She then worked for over twenty years as Salzburg Correspondent for ORF Radio Austria International. During this time she interviewed countless conductors, singers, instrumentalists and actors performing at the Salzburg Festival including Claudio Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, André Previn, Lorin Maazel, Kent Nagano, Sir Georg Solti, Bryn Terfel, Cecilia Bartoli, Christian Gerhaher, Juan Diego Flórez and compiled radio portraits and features on the Festival.
Elizabeth Mortimer now reports for Arts on the Air and Inspired Minds on the English Service of Deutsche Welle. As a translator and interpreter she is particularly closely involved with English language publications for the Salzburg Festival, the International Mozarteum Foundation and other major arts institutions. Her thorough insight of the Salzburg Festival has meant that she is frequently invited to give talks on festival-related themes. Her experience as an announcer means that she frequently writes and records texts for audio guides in special exhibitions and museums, e.g. Albertina, Liechtenstein Museum, Vienna, and Museum der Moderne, Salzburg.