Intended to showcase the work of Nikolaus Harnoncourt in his hometown, it grew to locations in the region and survived his death.

Kurt Jungwirth, as Kulturlandesrat responsible for cultural politics in the state of Styria, wanted to tie conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt closer to his hometown Graz.

[1] The focus of the first Styriarte was Johann Sebastian Bach, with Harnoncourt's Concentus Musicus Wien playing a leading role.

[1] A year later, the baroque church of Stainz was the first festival venue outside Graz, where Harnoncourt conducted concerts with the Concentus Musicus and the Arnold Schoenberg Chor.

[2] After Harnoncourt's death in 2016, conductors Karina Canellakis,[4] Andrés Orozco-Estrada and Jeremie Rhorer appeared in 2016, sharing the planned project to present all Beethoven Symphonies.