Alexander Goehr, composer and teacher, was born in Berlin in 1932 and was brought to England in 1933. His distinguished career has involved work with the BBC during the 1960s, and teaching positions at the New England Conservatory in Boston, and at Yale, Southampton and Leeds universities. From 1976 to 1999 he was Professor of Music at Cambridge University, where he was an influential teacher of many composers who are now well-known figures. He has twice been composer-in-residence at Tanglewood and is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.