Often characterised as the “city of music” and the cradle of psychotherapy, Vienna also features a rich tradition in the field of music therapy. With the start of the first music therapy training course in Vienna in 1959, music therapy has been a field of continuous growth in Austria for more than half a century now. Well-established within clinical settings, music therapists of three generations have developed the profession in Austria to where it stands today.

Since the Music Therapy Act came into effect in 2009, Austria is one of the few countries worldwide where music therapy is legally recognised. Graduates from Austria have also had a formative influence on training, research, and professional practice in music therapy throughout various European countries and beyond.