Age, Biography and Wiki

Oliver Knussen was born on 12 June, 1952 in Glasgow, Scotland, is a British composer and conductor. Discover Oliver Knussen's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 66 years old?

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Occupation Composer, conductor
Age 66 years old
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Born 12 June, 1952
Birthday 12 June
Birthplace Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 8 July, 2018
Died Place Snape, Suffolk, England
Nationality Glasgow

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 12 June. He is a member of famous Composer with the age 66 years old group.

Oliver Knussen Height, Weight & Measurements

At 66 years old, Oliver Knussen height not available right now. We will update Oliver Knussen's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
Height Not Available
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Who Is Oliver Knussen's Wife?

His wife is Sue Knussen (m. 1972–2003)

Family
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Wife Sue Knussen (m. 1972–2003)
Sibling Not Available
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Oliver Knussen Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Oliver Knussen worth at the age of 66 years old? Oliver Knussen’s income source is mostly from being a successful Composer. He is from Glasgow. We have estimated Oliver Knussen's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
House Not Available
Cars Not Available
Source of Income Composer

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Timeline

1952

Stuart Oliver Knussen (12 June 1952 – 8 July 2018) was a British composer and conductor.

Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland.

His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra, and also participated in a number of premieres of Benjamin Britten's music.

1963

Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert between 1963 and 1969, and also received encouragement from Britten.

He spent several summers studying with Gunther Schuller at Tanglewood in Massachusetts and in Boston.

1966

Knussen began composing at about the age of six; an ITV programme about his father's work with the London Symphony Orchestra prompted the commissioning for his first symphony (1966–1967).

1968

Aged 15, Knussen stepped in to conduct his symphony's première at the Royal Festival Hall, London, on 7 April 1968, after István Kertész fell ill.

After his debut, Daniel Barenboim asked him to conduct the work's first two movements in New York a week later.

In this work and his Concerto for Orchestra (1968–1970), he had quickly and fluently absorbed the influences of modernist composers Britten and Berg as well as many mid-century (largely American) symphonists, while displaying an unusual flair for pacing and orchestration.

1970

It was as early as the Second Symphony (1970–1971), in the words of Julian Anderson, that "Knussen's compositional personality abruptly appeared, fully formed".

1980

His major works from the 1980s were his two children's operas, Where the Wild Things Are and Higglety Pigglety Pop!, both libretti by Maurice Sendak – and based on Sendak's own eponymous children's books.

1986

Where the Wild Things Are received its New York premiere in November 1986 by New York City Opera, which also performed the work in April 2011.

Knussen was the head of contemporary music activities at Tanglewood between 1986 and 1993.

1990

She ran the Los Angeles Philharmonic's education department in the late 1990s.

Oliver and Sue Knussen had a daughter, Sonya Knussen, who is a mezzo-soprano.

1992

Knussen was principal guest conductor of The Hague's Het Residentie Orkest (Residentie Orchestra) between 1992 and 1996, the Aldeburgh Festival's co-artistic director between 1983 and 1998 and the London Sinfonietta's music director between 1998 and 2002 – and became that ensemble's conductor laureate.

1994

A much-admired orchestral work from 1994 is his Horn Concerto written for Barry Tuckwell, which "combines the colorful sound world of early 20th century music with a contemporary approach to time and melody".

He was awarded CBE in the 1994 Birthday Honours.

1996

Knussen was married to Sue Knussen, a US-born producer and director of music programmes for BBC television and for the UK's Channel 4 – for which she made Leaving Home, an introduction to 20th-century music presented by Simon Rattle in a series of seven one-hour programmes, which won the 1996 BAFTA award for "Best Arts Series".

2003

Sue Knussen died of a blood infection in London in 2003.

The Sue Knussen Composers Fund (previously, the Sue Knussen Commissioning Fund) "honours her memory and professional legacy...and...commissions works from emerging composers to be performed by contemporary music ensembles worldwide."

Knussen lived in Snape, Suffolk, Benjamin Britten's base during one of his most creative periods.

Snape Maltings concert hall is the home of the Aldeburgh Festival.

2005

In 2005, Knussen was the music director of the Ojai Music Festival.

2006

Knussen wrote his Songs for Sue, a setting of four poems for soprano and 15-piece ensemble, as a memorial tribute to his late wife, and the music received its world première in Chicago in 2006.

Knussen told Tom Service in The Guardian: "I knew there were a number of Dickinson poems addressed to her sister, Sue, so one week I read all 1,700 poems of Emily Dickinson ... and I copied out about 35 of them by hand, I have no idea where the notes for this piece come from ... It seemed to want to be written ... I wasn't sure whether it ... ought to be let out at all ... because I didn't want it to be a self-indulgent thing. But actually it's very restrained. It's not a huge work – about 13 minutes – but it's a big piece emotionally."

From September 2006, Knussen was artist-in-association to the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and from 2009 to the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

2012

As of autumn 2012, Knussen was writing a symphonic adagio for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

He was also planning to finish two concertos that he had worked on for several years: one for piano and one for cello.

His recordings as a conductor include works by Modest Mussorgsky, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Elliott Carter, Igor Stravinsky, Hans Werner Henze, Toru Takemitsu, Colin Matthews, Alexander Goehr, Robin Holloway and Poul Ruders.

2018

Knussen died on 8 July 2018, aged 66.