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Rattle was born in Liverpool, the son of Pauline Lila Violet (Greening) and Denis Guttridge Rattle. He was educated at Liverpool College. He entered the Royal Academy of Music, University of London, in 1971. In 1974, Rattle won the John Player International Conducting Competition.

He spent the academic year 1980/81 at St Anne's College, Oxford studying English Language and Literature. He was elected an Honorary Fellow in 1991. He was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Music honoris causa of the University of Oxford in 1999.
In 1974, he was made assistant conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. His first Prom at the Royal Albert Hall was on 9 August 1976. In 1977 he became assistant conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

In 1980, Simon Rattle became the CBSO's Principal Conductor and Artistic Adviser, and in 1990, Music Director. Rattle increased both his profile and that of the orchestra over his tenure. One of his long-term concert projects was the series of concerts of 20th-century music titled "Towards the Millennium". One other major achievement during his time was the move of the CBSO to a newly built concert hall, Symphony Hall, in 1991.

Rattle was made a Knight Bachelor in 1994. In 1992, Rattle was named a Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), along with Frans Brüggen. Rattle now has the title of Principal Artist with the OAE. Rattle conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at the Opening of the London Olympics 2012.

Rattle made his conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1987. In 1999, Rattle was appointed as the orchestra's principal conductor. Since his appointment, Rattle has reorganised the Berlin Philharmonic into a foundation, meaning its activities are more under the control of the members rather than politicians.

Rattle made his North American debut in 1976, conducting the London Schools Symphony Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. He also guest-conducted the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Rattle's first marriage was to Elise Ross, an American soprano, with whom he had two sons. They were divorced in 1995. In 1996 he married his second wife, Candace Allen, a Boston-born writer. This second marriage ended in 2004, and in 2008 Rattle married the Czech mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená. The couple have two sons, Jonas (2005) and Milos (2008), and a daughter Anežka (June 2014). Source: Wikipedia

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