Herbert Böck was already engaged by the Vienna Boys' Choir as a soprano soloist in the Bach Cantatas under Nikolaus Harnoncourt, among others. From 1984 to 1989 he was solo oboist in the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, then artistic director of the Vienna Singakademie with conducting duties at the Vienna Konzerthaus until 1998. Since 1989 he has also been the Artistic Director of the Vienna Jeunesse Orchestra, the nationwide Austrian youth orchestra. Since 1995 he has been professor of choral and ensemble conducting at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.

With the chamber choir "Concentus Vocalis", which he founded, he won numerous competitions, including first prize and overall victory in the European Broadcasting Union EBU competition "Let the peoples sing" in Helsinki in 1987.