Pinchas Steinberg was born in Israel. He studied the violin in the United States and composition in Berlin. In 1974, he began playing with RIAS Orchestra of Berlin, which led to a serious of prestigious engagements with, among others, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Israel Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the National Orchestra of France.

From 1988 to 1993, Pinchas Steinberg was the permanent guest conductor of the Vienna Opera. He has directed productions in some of the most important centres in the world, most notably in London (Convent Garden), Paris, Munich, San Francisco, Berlin, Rome and Geneva. From 1989 to 1996, Steinberg was the principal conductor of the Austrian Radio Orchestra Vienna. In 2001, Steinberg conducted in the United States for the first time, at the head of the Cleveland Orchestra. On 1 September 2002, Pinchas Steinberg became the artistic and music director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.