Hans Holz has chaired IOV Austria since 1995 and was the IOV secretary-general from October 2005 until June 2011. Besides his IOV activities, he was vice-mayor of the town of Andorf, Austria, where he was born, from 2003 to 2009, president of the Upper Austrian Choir Association from1999 to 2015, vice-president of the Austrian Choir Association from 2000 to 2004, and before youth chairman of the same association from 1991 to 2001.
He taught English, music and sports at Andorf high school since 1971. Beside his work as teacher and his many freetime-activities in sports, culture and poiltics he studied at the University of Passau, Germany.1n 1989 Hans received a master’s degree in pedagogical studies there.
He was the founder of the Music High School in Andorf. From 1999 to 2010 Hans was the headmaster of Andorf Music-Highschool. Beside this main job he taught as professor at the Teacher’s College in Linz for many years.
In his freetime he was an activist in choir music and folk culture. He founded the 3 Andorf Choirs, a male-, a mixed- and a youth choir. Between 1982 and 2003 he went on many concert tours with them around the world to present choir music from old Austrian and European masters, international folksongs, Austrian folk music and folk dances. Through all these years he successfully performed with his Andorf Choirs in more than 60 of the biggest cities on all continents and hosted about 30 international choirs from all the world in Andorf.
Since 1993 Hans has been a member of IOV and already in 1995 he became chairman of IOV-Austria, the biggest national section of IOV, which he is still leading. At the GA in 2006 in Korea he was elected to be Secretary General of IOV, following Alexander Veigl, the founder of IOV. Until 2011 he voluntarily worked very hard as Sec Gen. to change the structure of IOV with decentralisation and close cooperation with IOV-officers in many countries and in the newly formed different regions of all continents.
Another main achievement of Hans was the foundation of IOV-Youth. Because of his experience as Youth Chairman of the Austrian Choir Association it was his precious idea in 2007 to start IOV-Youth work to secure the future of IOV for the next generations. Together with IOV-USA he organised the 1st IOV-World Youth-Congress in the USA in 2008 and fully supported the 2nd in 2010 in China as Secretary General.
After all his hard work for IOV, national and worldwide, for more than 20 years he was elected at the General Assembly of IOV in Italy in 2016 to be Vice-President of IOV now.
For all his life-achievements in culture and folk culture he was thankfully honored by his hometown Andorf, by the federal government of Upper Austria and most of all by the president of Austria with the title, “Professor” in 2014.