Yves Knockaert (born Brugge (Bruges) 11 April 1954) studied Art History and Archeology with an option in Musicology at the Rijksuniversiteit Gent, graduating in 1976 after writing a licentiate thesis on Aspects of Contemporary Vocal Music in Works by Berio, Kagel and Nono.
As a composer he took courses in contemporary music and analysis with Iannis Xenakis (Lille, 1980), Mauricio Kagel (Aix-en-Provence, 1981), Franco Donatoni, Brian Ferneyhough and Hans Werner Henze (Siena, 1982) and Luciano Berio (Aix-en-Provence, 1983).
Yves Knockaert was active as a composer in the 1980s, writing his last works in 1989. Because of his musicological activities since 1990, he has set aside composition for an undetermined period.