Pollack was born in Vienna, Austria, where he studied violon, viola, piano and composition at the Conservatory and Musikhochschule. He trained as a conductor with Hans Swarowsky in Vienna, and, later, with Sergiu Celibidache in Munich. He worked as assistant to Christoph von Dohnanyi at the Carinthian Summer Festival (de), and in 1984 also at the Bregenzer Festspiele. He has conducted with the Vienna Volksoper, since 1984, and was guest conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1986.