Norman Shetler (born 16 June 1931, Dubuque, Iowa[1]) is a pianist, puppeteer and puppet constructor, and piano professor. Originally from America, he now lives in Austria.
Norman Shetler was born in Dubuque, Iowa in 1931.[1][2] He planned to attend Juilliard, but before he could attend he was drafted into the army. During WWII, he served mostly as a typist.[citation needed]
While a student in Vienna, the Soviet Union funded his participation in the first Tchaikovsky Competition.[3] There he met Van Cliburn. He also dreamed of studying with the Soviet virtuoso Sviatoslav Richter.[importance?]
In 1955 he moved to Vienna, Austria, where he studied piano[where?], graduating in 1959. He specialized in accompanying singers,[4] having worked with Anneliese Rothenberger, Peter Schreier,[5][6] Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau,[7] Brigitte Fassbaender, Hermann Prey, Margaret Price and Thomas Quasthoff,[8] and also with instrumentalists such as violinist Nathan Milstein and cellist Heinrich Schiff. Despite specializing in accompanying, he is also a soloist.[9][10] He has been recorded over 70 times.[citation needed]
Between 1983 and 1991, Shetler taught Piano and Lied Accompaniment at the Würzburg School of Music and Drama.[2] Since 1992, he has been a professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He also teaches masterclasses, particularly at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg.[11][12][13][14]
Shetler has also been a puppet maker and puppeteer since at least 1985.[15] His show "Musical Puppet Cabaret" toured internationally, in festivals and on television.[16][17][18]