Viera studied physics in Munich until he graduated, but his heart was set on becoming a jazz musician.

He attended his first jazz concert in 1952 at the Circus Krone, on the day of his final high school exam.

he subsequently bought his first saxophone, a soprano, from a friend from Munich for 70 marks, and formed a band with a guitarist.

[1] In 1970, Viera was the founder and musical director of the Internationale Jazzwoche Burghausen,[8] that he directed for more than 50 years.

[1] In 1993, Viera co-founded the Lehrer Big Band Bayern (LBB Bayern) after a course at the Academy for Teacher Training and Personnel Management [de] in Dillingen, with Walter A. Neubeck who lectured there;[9] Viera was its musical director until the early 2000s.