Heinz Holliger was born in Langenthal (Switzerland, canton of Berne) on 21 May 1939. During his grammar-school education he already studied oboe with Emile Cassagnaud at the Conservatory of Berne and composition with Sándor Veress, later (1958/59) piano with Yvonne Lefèbre and oboe with Pierre Pierlot in Paris. From 1961 to 1963 he studied composition with Pierre Boulez.

Being solo oboist of the Basler Orchester-Gesellschaft from 1959 to 1963, Holliger won several first prizes at international music competitions in Geneva (1959) and Munich (Internationaler Musikwettbewerb der ARD, 1961) which allowed him from 1961 worldwide performances and recordings as a solo oboist. Among his record awards are to be mentioned the German Record Award, the Edison Award, the Grand Prix du Disque, the International Record Critics' Award and the Diplôme d'honneur du prix mondial du disque. Numerous old works for oboe have been unearthed by Holliger and many contemporary composers (Luciano Berio, Elliot Carter, Frank Martin, Hans-Werner Henze, Witold Lutoslawski, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Isang Yun) have written works for him.

His activities as a composer and conductor have equally been recognized throughout the world and honoured by numerous prizes: the Composition Award of the Schweizerischer Tonkünstlerverein (1984), the Sonning Music Award of Copenhagen and the Frankfurt Music Award (1987), the Arts Award of the City of Basle (1989), the Ernst-von-Siemens Music Award (1991) and the Prix de Composition Musicale 1994 de la Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco for his orchestral composition (S)irató. In 1995, he won the Premio Abbiati of the Biennale Venezia for the Scardanelli-Zyklus. In 1993/94 he was composer-in-residence of the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, in 1998 composer-in-residence at the Lucern Festival. After the second Performance of his opera Schneewittchen (after Robert Walser) at Zurich, Holliger received an honorary doctorate from the University of Zurich in October 1998.

His work comprises all genres in every possible instrumentation from stage works via orchstral, solo and chamber music works to numerous vocal works. As an oboist, Holliger has used his vast technical expertise to revolutionize and extend the way other composers view the instrument's potential. He has also been inspired by a range of poets including Hölderlin, Trakl and Celan. In May 2001 his work ConcErto...? commissioned by KÖLNMUSIK for the 20th birthday of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe has been firstly performed in Köln. Holliger lives in Basel.