Iver Holter

Norwegian composer and conductor. Born December 13th, 1850 in Gausdal, Norway. Died January 27th, 1941 in Oslo, Norway. Studied the violin in Gausdal at a young age, and after studying medicine in Christiania, and after encouragement from his conductor Edvard Grieg and, later, his conductor and teacher Johan Svendsen, he enrolled as a student at the conservatory in Leipzig, studying there from 1879 to 1881. In 1882, he succeeded Edvard Grieg as conductor of Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, and stayed in this position until 1886. When Johan Selmer resigned as conductor of "Musikforeningen" (later Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester) in 1886, Holter took his place. He remained in this position for 25 years. There he became an important figure for music in Norway, focusing on newer music, and regularly giving first Norwegian hearings not only to the works of his younger fellow Norwegian composers, but also to foreign composers such as Wagner, Bruckner, Brahms, Sibelius and Carl Nielsen. During this time he also made many successful guest appearances with well-known orchestras all over Europe. He also conducted several choirs, and founded "Holters Korforening", a choral society, in 1897.