Michael Oliver

Michael Edgar Oliver (20 July 1937 – 1 December 2002) was a BBC broadcaster, writer and journalist on classical music.

Born in Hammersmith, the son of a music-loving plumber, Oliver was educated at St Clement Danes Grammar School, then in North Kensington, at Isleworth Polytechnic and at the London School of Printing.

Oliver presented BBC Radio 3's Music Weekly programme (1975–90), and also was a presenter of BBC Radio 4's Kaleidoscope (1974–87). The author of several books, including biographies of Igor Stravinsky and Benjamin Britten, he was also a regular contributor to The Gramophone, Classic CD, Classic Record Collector and BBC Music Magazine. He was also founding editor of International Opera Collector, a subsidiary of The Gramophone, started in 1996 but closed after only 13 issues, as a consequence of the sale of all the Gramophone magazines in July 1999.