Wolfgang Harrer was born in Vienna in 1953 and started playing the piano at the age of six. He began conducting studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna with the legendary Hans Swarowsky. He later received further instruction from Otmar Suitner, who was the chief conductor and artistic director of the Berlin State Opera and conductor in Bayreuth at the time. During winter 1991, Wolfgang Harrer assisted Hans Wallat, the chief conductor and artistic director of the German Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf, for two months.

He has guest conducted many orchestras including the Chinese Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Budapest State Opera, the National Chamber Orchestra of Azerbaijan, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Macedonia and at various opera houses. His repertoire ranges from baroque to modern avant-garde music, as he does not wish to specialize in any particular style or period.

He has performed with well known soloists including Lucia Aliberti, Vesselina Kasarova and Neil Shicoff. Wolfgang Harrer also enjoys supporting young musicians, be they instrumentalists, singers or conductors. He has made CD recordings with Eldar Saparayev, a Kazakh cellist, and Olivia De Prato, an Austrian-Italian violinist, and has assisted many young singers in making concert appearances. Wolfgang Harrer is the founder of a course and competition for young conductors.

In 2009 he became the artistic director and conductor of the “Galkynys” Turkmen-Austrian Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, he also became first guest conductor of the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Turkmenistan. He has taught orchestral conducting at the “Institute for European Studies” in Vienna since 2002.