Maria Ehmer, born and raised in Ohlsdorf / Upper Austria, received her first violin lessons at the age of 5. After graduating from the Linz Music High School and the Anton Bruckner Private University, she continued her studies with Ernst Kovacic and Günter Pichler at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In 2010 she finished her studies with unanimous distinction.

She is a four-time winner of the national Prima la Musica competition and a special prize winner at the international Johannes Brahms competition in Pörtschach.

During her studies she took numerous master classes, among others with Benjamin Schmid, Lynn Blakeslee, Antje Weithaas and Hagai Shaham.

She appears as a soloist with the Bruckner Orchestra Linz, the Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra Innsbruck, the Philharmonia Vienna and the Chamber Philharmonic Warsaw.

In 2003 founding member and first violinist of the Minetti Quartet.

They are the winner of the Gradus ad Parnassum Prize and the international String quartet competition "Franz Schubert and the Modern Music". Other awards include the Karajan grant, the start grant from the Austrian Federal Ministry and the Ö1 Pasticcio Prize.

The Minetti Quartet is selected in the season 2007/08 for the renowned "Rising Stars" concert cycle, which takes them to the world's most famous concert halls, including the Cologne Philharmonic, Cite de la Musique Paris, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Palais des Beaux Arts Brussels, Megaron Athens, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and the Wiener Musikverein. Since then they have been giving concerts regularly in the music centers of Europe, North and South America, Asia as well as at numerous international festivals such as the Mozart Week Salzburg, Festival Schleswig-Holstein, Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, Rheingau Festival and Festival Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

CD appearances at Hänssler Classic and AVI music.

Her chamber music partners include Fazil Say, Till Fellner, the Mandelring Quartet, the Altenberg Trio, Paul Meyer, Jörg Widmann, Sarah Willis, Thomas Riebl, István Várdai, Alois Posch and the Ensemble Wien.

The quartet also receives significant artistic impulses from Ferenc Rados, Alfred Brendel, Johannes Meissl, as well as members of the Alban Berg Quartet, Amadeus Quartet, Artemis Quartet and Hagen Quartet.

Maria Ehmer plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, "Mantegazza", Turin 1774, on loan from the Austrian National Bank.