Olivia began learning the violin at the age of four, and throughout her primary and secondary years she lived in Perth, Sydney and London. This gave her musical journey a colourful and eclectic tapestry of experience.
She has studied with Emeritus Professor Paul Wright, achieving a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours from the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2022. Whilst studying, Olivia was supported by several scholarships and prizes, including the Delano and Wesley Music Scholarships. In the second year of her studies, Olivia was awarded the Lynn Kan Memorial Prize in Music and won the VOSE Memorial Concerto Competition which saw her perform as soloist with the UWA Symphony Orchestra. She was also the recipient of the Edith Cowan Prize in Music for achieving the highest average mark in music units taken in the final two years of undergraduate study.
Olivia was a frequent concertmaster of the UWA Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. A highlight for her was performing as soloist with chamber orchestra in the Irwin St. Collective Classical Concerto Competition. She found the experience of playing large scale chamber music electric and has loved being mentored by Shaun Lee-Chen.
Whilst studying, Olivia freelanced with the Perth Symphony Orchestra, Fremantle Chamber Orchestra and WA Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2022, she successfully auditioned as a casual musician for the West Australian Symphony Orchestra.
She was a founding member of the St. George’s College String Quartet, mentored by Paul Wright from 2016-2021. The quartet enjoyed regular performance opportunities and participated in masterclasses with the Australian String Quartet, Borodin and Brandenburg Quartets. This quartet experience has undoubtedly shaped Olivia’s musical identity, nurturing a deep passion and respect for chamber playing.
Since completing her degree, Olivia has forged her own chamber opportunities in creating Apeirogon Chamber Ensemble. This has culminated in two self-produced projects, where she directed a chamber orchestra concert series, and a regional tour with string quartet. Olivia is passionate about connecting communities through music and bringing people together with shared experiences.
She is excited to commence her studies at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) in 2024, to continue exploring musical connections and to pursue her chamber obsession under Zoë Black and Sophie Rowell.
Olivia is fully supported by ANAM Syndicate donors Dale and Greg Higham.
Photo by Pia Johnson