Ursula Holliger
Ursula Holliger, née Hänggi, was a Swiss harpist, known for her commitment to contemporary music.Career
Born in Basel, Holliger studied at the Basel Academy and then at the Conservatoire de Bruxelles. She subsequently went on to pursue a solo career, alone or with her husband, oboist, conductor and composer, Heinz Holliger.
She was one of the most important harpists, particularly in the field of contemporary music, where she played and created many works dedicated to her or her husband: Elliott Carter, Alberto Ginastera, André Jolivet, Ernst Křenek, Alfred Schnittke, Isang Yun, Tōru Takemitsu and Heinz Holliger.
She performed, among others, under the direction of Michael Gielen, Pierre Boulez, Simon Rattle, André Previn, Neville Marriner and Heinz Holliger. In the classical repertoire, she has played with flutists Peter-Lukas Graf and Aurèle Nicolet for Mozart's concerto or works by Spohr; and in chamber music, she formed a harp duet with harpist Catherine Einsenhoffer and a regular duet with violinist Hanna Weinmaster.
As a teacher, she taught at the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg and in Basel.Discography
Ursula Holliger has recorded for Accord, Camerata, Philips, Deutsche Grammophon/Archiv, Claves Records, Néos et Novalis.
