1926 Born on February 17 in Vienna.
1946-53 Studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing.
Arts (composition with Alfred Uhl, violin with Vasa Prihoda, music education) and at the University of Vienna (philosophy, musicology, German studies); PhD.
1953 Composition seminar with Josef Matthias Hauer.
1956-58 Participation at the Darmstadt Holiday Courses (Rudolf Kolisch, Eduard Steuermann).
1956/57 Scholarship for study in Rome.
1958 Founded the “die reihe” ensemble for New Music with Kurt Schwertsik, which he directed until 1983.
1959-88 Teacher, then professor at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (composition, notation, interpretation of New Music).
1968-75 President of the Austrian department of the International Society of New Music.
1986 Honorary member of the Austria Composer’s Union.
1992 Member of the European Acadey of Science.
Numerous prizes and awards, among them the Austrian Ministry of Education and Culture Sponsorship Award (1971), the City of Vienna Music Prize (1974), the Lower Austrian Prize of Honour (1985) and the Grand Austrian State Prize (1986). Together with his compositional oeuvre, Cerha works as a conductor, publisher (the Doblinger series of Ancient Music “Diletto musicale”) and in the field of fine art. (Doblinger Catalogue)