About

Heather Kurzbauer (JD/LLM/PhD) studied art history, sociology, and music at Yale University, receiving both a Bachelor’s degree cum laude and Master’s degree with Honors. She completed law studies at the University of Amsterdam and received her PhD in 2022 (Symphonic Metamorphosis: variations on vulnerability orchestral musicians’ employment in times of crisis).

Dr. Kurzbauer served as Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration from 2000-2004. An active lecturer on subjects bridging law, politics, and the arts, she developed courses at Emerson College (Boston), Webster University-Leiden and Nyenrode Business University. Appointed to University of Amsterdam Law Faculty in 2004 her lectures span international law, comparative law, and legal English. She was honored to serve on the Faculty Works Council.

Turning to music, she was a member of the 1st violin sections of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra/Radio Chamber Philharmonic (1987-2013) and joined Sinfonia Rotterdam in 2015. She has been privileged to perform and lecture at the Grand Teton Music Festival USA (www.gtmf.org) for over three decades. A commitment to hands-on music development projects inspired participation in inclusivity programs in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic (2017).

She has published hundreds of music/arts editorials and interviews as Corresponding Editor for Strad Magazine London and BBC Music Magazine. Her blogs on music-related subjects have captured an international following at www.theviolinchannel.com and http://www.violinist.com

Dr. Kurzbauer has been privileged to serve as keynote speaker/panelist at diverse fora, sharing her vision on employment challenges for atypical workers: International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) Washington D.C. 2016; Federation International Musicians (FIM) Montreal 2017; European Labor Law (FIM) Bucharest 2017; Jean Monnet Labour Law Congress 2018; International Freelance Musicians Conference, Copenhagen 2019; Federation of International Actors Freelance Conference, Thessaloniki 2019; EU Expert Group on Freelance Labor Dublin 2020; Labour Law Research Network Warsaw 2023- Rome 2024, and a series of European Commission sponsored atypical work conferences 2023-2026.

Active on many fronts related to musicians’ rights, Kurzbauer has served on the Board of Directors of the Platform for Freelance Musicians, joined a team of participants on freelancer’s rights under the auspices of the Dutch Fair Practice organization (PACCT), served as advisor for the Raad voor Cultuur (Culture Council) and adjudicated for the Dutch Fund for Podium Performance (FPK). She has been privileged to speak at numerous international conferences as the spokesperson for the Dutch union, FNV Media and Culture since 2017.

Kluwer Law International published her book Employment and Vulnerabilities in the World of Orchestral Musicians: Symphonic Metamorphoses in November 2023. Post-publication Dr. Kurzbauer has accepted invitations to lecture on musicians’ employment worldwide.