Peter Infeld - Entrepreneur. Art collector. Music aficionado.
Peter Infeld (1942-2009) received in his early years vocal training as a tenor from Mario Del Monaco in Italy. At the age of 21 he entered the company controlled by his father Otto Infeld. After Otto Infeld’s death in 1965 Peter Infeld led the company together with his mother Margaretha Infeld who passed away in 1994. From that time Peter Infeld was sole manager of Thomastik-Infeld GmbH. For him it was always of great importance to lead the company according to family traditions and to show his passion for music and art.
The production of music strings led to numerous and close contacts with musicians all over the world. Infeld became a patron and sponsor of various projects. Consequently, there were cross-border cultural activities which were ground- breaking, e. g. the formation of the society “INFELD FUNDATION for the support of young artists of fine arts and musicians in the Podravina” and the establishment of a cultural centre on the island of Krk.
Many people knew him not only in his role as a responsible businessman but also as a passionate collector of art and as a singer. His “House of Culture” in Halbturn was opened in spring 2000 and innumerable exhibitions provided an insight into his extensive art collection. Numerous recordings of this professionally trained tenor testify to his passion for opera and operetta. In autumn 2000 Infeld presented his first volume of lyric poetry called “Atlantis”.
The collection of records and autographs which Peter Infeld has assembled in the course of several decades is especially worth mentioning. In the collection, rarities from the area of the opera can be found, as well as vinyl records and audio CDs from various types of rock and pop music. The autograph collection includes several thousand autographs of international musicians such as Enrico Caruso, Maria Callas, Mstislav Rostropovich, etc.
Peter Infeld received many awards, but one of them should be particularly emphasised. It is the Golden Order of Merit for services rendered to the Republic of Austria, which was awarded to him in 2003.
Peter Infeld died unexpectedly on 15 April 2009. After his death, his widow Zdenka Infeld continued the long corporate and collecting activities of the family. The stated aim of the Infeld family: To remain number one in the field of strings production and to spread the passion for art further.
