Heinz Holliger (born May 21, 1939) is a Swiss oboist and composer. He was born in Langenthal, Switzerland and began his musical education at the conservatories of Bern and Basel. He also studied composition with Pierre Boulez. He took first prize in the International Competition in Geneva in 1959. He has become one of the world's most celebrated oboists, and numerous works have been written for him. He began teaching at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany in 1966.