Composer, conductor & oboe
Biography:
Heinz Holliger (born May 21, 1939 in Langenthal) is a Swiss oboist, composer and conductor. After taking oboe lessons from Emile Cassagnaud in Bern early on, he presented his first compositions (chamber music, songs, incidental music) in 1953 at the age of fourteen. In 1956 he began his studies at the Bern Conservatory with Emile Cassagnaud (oboe) and Sándor Veress (composition). After graduating from high school in Burgdorf two years later, he earned a teaching diploma at the Bern Conservatory.
In 1958 and 1959 he studied piano, first with Sava Savoff at the Bern Conservatory, then with Yvonne Lefèbre at the Conservatoire de Paris and privately with Pierre Pierlot. From 1961 to 1963 he also took composition lessons from Pierre Boulez.
In 1959 he began his professional career as principal oboist with the Basler Orchester-Gesellschaft (he held the position until 1963). 1961 followed the first recordings and worldwide guest performances as a solo oboist. In 1965 he was offered a professorship at the State University of Music in Freiburg im Breisgau.
Since 1975 he has been a permanent guest conductor with Paul Sacher's Basler Kammerorchester. From 1998 to 2001 he was also the conductor of the Orchester de Chambre de Lausanne. He was composer-in-residence with the Orchester de la Suisse Romande (1993/94), the Lucerne Festival (1998) and the Summer Music Days in Hitzacker (2002).
In 1987 he founded the Basel Music Forum together with Jürg Wyttenbach and Rudolf Kelterborn. Together with the Hungarian pianist András Schiff, he founded the “Ittinger Whitsun Concerts”.
Heinz Holliger became known worldwide as an oboist and numerous works were written for him. Holliger also created his own compositions, from stage works to orchestral, solo and chamber music works to numerous vocal compositions.
He is married to the harpist Ursula Holliger.
Albums:
Happy Birthday Eliott Carter! – New Chamber Works:
