Sterk was born in 1968. Also a practicing speech therapist, he studied piano, double bass, theory and composition (under Heinz Karl Gruber) at the Vienna Conservatory. At the University of Vienna, he pursued philosophy, musicology and theatre studies. In addition, he attended seminars and courses with Ivan Eröd, Alfred Schnittke and Kurt Schwertsik. In 2008 Sterk was the recipient of theTheodor Körner Prize. His works have been performed both in Germany and abroad by Ensemble Reconsil, Ensemble “die Reihe”, Ensemble Wiener Collage, Oslo Sinfonietta, KammarensembleN, Argento ChamberEnsemble (USA), Stuttgart ChamberOrchester, Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, TrioAccanto, the vocal ensemble Stimmwerck, and Cinquecento. Recordings of works by Sterk can also be obtained on labels such as Phoenix, Capriccio and einklang records.
