Wolfgang Hartl has passed away. He was 88.

Hartl was born in 1937. He was the great-nephew of Arnold Schoenberg.

In 1970, Hartl established Austroconcert International Music Management. For more than 50 years Austroconcerts managed a roster of distinguished classical artists performing throughout the world. Hartl worked with opera great such as Luciano Pavarotti, Mirella Freni, Friedrich Gulda, Heinrich Schiff, and Peter Schreier.

Not only did Hartl represent artists, he was a crucial mediator for the arts during the Cold War. He worked to build bridges between Czechoslovakia (modern day Czech Republic and Slovakia) and the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in tours to Japan. Austroconcerts organized international tours for many professional choirs and nearly 100 orchestras.

Hartl continued working alongside his daughter, Elisabetta Hartl, up until a few months ago.