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 Oliver
Knussen was born in Glasgow in 1952. He grew up near London,
and made his conducting debut with the London Symphony Orchestra
in 1968. Two weeks later he debuted as a composer, when he asked
to conduct his recently completed symphony in New York. In 1970
he was awarded the first of an eventual three Tanglewood fellowships.
While in the United States he completed such widely performed woks
as Hums and Songs of Winnie-the-Pooh (1970) and Ophelia
Dances (1975). He returned to the UK in 1975, where he completed
the successful Coursing (1979) and Third Symphony
(1973–79). The following decade, he collaborated with author
Maurice Sendak for Where the Wild Things Are and Higgelty
Piggelty Pop! His most recent work in memory of his wife, Songs
for Sue, premiered in 2006. As Andrew Clements of the Guardian
wrote, “No figure in British contemporary music is more respected
than Oliver Knussen… every piece makes its point perfectly
and shows Knussen’s mastery of his musical language and influences.”
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