Message received from the Vienna Phil:
We mourn the loss of Dr. Fritz Sterz, our esteemed doctor and friend of the orchestra. His dedication and care for our orchestra over the years, both in Vienna and on tour, will remain in our memories forever.<
We are profoundly grateful for his tireless support and medical care.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family.
Sterz, who retired from his hospital post three years ago, had been Deputy Head of Emergency Medicine at the Medical University of Vienna. Originally from Graz, he spent three years studying resuscitation with the pioneering Peter Safar in Pittsburgh. Known as the ‘father of therapeutic hypothermia, he had 569 publications to his name.
During the Vienna Phil’s first performance after Covid lockdown, ‘Dr. Fritz Sterz was brought in and experimented with sodium choloride to determine air flow. He measured fog clouds at a maximum of 20 inches (50 centimeters) from musicians’ mouths and noses, and approximately 30 inches (75 centimeters) from the end of a flute.’ On his advice, there was no social distancing on stage.
A true trailblazer.
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