Magpie Music Dance Co.

Mary Oliver (violin, viola,
hardanger fiddle) was born in La Jolla, California, and studied at San
Francisco State University (Bachelor of Music), Mills College (Master of Fine
Arts) and the University of California, San Diego where she received her Ph.D
in 1993 for her research in the theory and practice of improvised music. The
title of her dissertation being Constellations in Play: A Model of
Improvisation.

Her work as a soloist encompasses
both composed and improvised contemporary music; she has premiered works by
among others, Richard Barrett (air for solo violin 1994, Opening of
the Mouth ensemble violin/viola/hardanger fiddle 1996; UnterWasser
for ensemble and voice, violin 1997 and Trawl for ensemble, violin
1998) John Cage (Music for Four, viola, west coast premiere 1991),
Chaya Czernowin (for arie solo violin and tape 1990;Pnima..ins
Innere viola solo with ensemble 2000), Brian Ferneyhough (incipits
for solo viola and ensemble, world premiere, 1996), Joëlle Léandre (Satiemental
Journey, violin/viola w.p.1995) Liza Lim (Philtre solo for hardanger
fiddle 1997),George Lewis (Voyager, 1991), Richard Teitelbaum (Golum,
violin 1990) and Iannis Xenakis (Embelie for solo viola, US premiere
1988).

Oliver has worked alongside
improvising musicians such as Ab Baars, Han Bennink, Jaap Blonk, Tristan
Honsinger, Joëlle Léandre, Thomas Lehn, George Lewis, Misha Mengelberg, Phil
Minton and Michael Moore.

As a soloist and
ensemble player she has performed in numerous international festivals
including the Darmstädter Feriendurse für neue Musik (stipendiaten prize),
Donaueschinger Muziektage 2002, October Meeting (Amsterdam), Jazz Marathon
(Groningen), DuMaurier Vancouver and Toronto Jazz Festivals, Ars Electronica (Linz),
Ars Musica (Brussels), June-in-Buffalo (New York), London Musicians Collective
Festival, Copenhagen, European Cultural Festival, Angelica Festival (Bologna),
Perth Festival, Brisbane Biennial, SpielArt (Munich), Münchener Biennale and
Zürich Tage für Neue Musik.
In 1993-94 she was a
resident artist at Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, where she added the
Norwegian hardanger fiddle to her instrumentarium of violin and viola, for the
past eight years she has been based in Amsterdam where she has worked locally
and internationally with various ensembles such as Instant Composer’s Pool,
Magpie Music and Dance Company, Scapino Ballet, Nieuw Ensemble, Elision
Ensemble (Australia), Ensemble Köln, and Xenakis Ensemble. Currently she is a
professor of music at the Hogeschol voor Kunst and a member of Instant
Composer’s Pool and musical director of Magpie Music Dance Company.
Discography (brief list):
Witchfiddle improvised works for violin, viola and hardanger fiddle
ICP038/BVHaast; Oh,My Dog! ICP040/BVHaast, Pica/Pica ICP 041,
Aan and Uit ICP 042; Consensus Splinks Kontrans1545/BVHaast;
Opening of the Mouth work for ensemble by Richard Barrett BBC Recordings;
Changing with the Times George Lewis New World Records; Pes
Henneman Strijkkwartet Wig 05/BVHaast; Iannis Xenakis various works,
Sonor Ensemble Mode Records.