Celebration of Music - Talent Search

From the time Olivia was a young girl, she would spend hours at the piano with her grandmother, playing the piano and singing. When she was a little older, her nana introduced her to a Chopin Polonaise, and in that moment, she fell in love with both classical music and the composer Chopin. Later, when Olivia was in high school, she experienced a second major musical occurrence. She was asked by the choir instructor if she would consider accompanying the school choirs. From that point on, she was the school accompanist and was able to perform for a variety of special events as a soloist and accompanist. She was also able to get a job as a church organist which taught her many new things about technique, style and approach. Since then, Olivia has continued to perform as a classical pianist for recitals as well as concerts at Kutztown University, and in her home state of NJ.

The music of the Romantic period, particularly the music of Chopin and Liszt, speak to Olivia most, as this music requires a certain level of drama, expressiveness, and emotion that she just can't get enough of! Through the works of this time period, Olivia has found a musical forum that challenges her technically while also giving her the freedom to express herself emotionally as a musician.

Olivia is currently a sophomore at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania and is a Commercial Music major with two minors in audio engineering and astronomy. While passionate about performing, she is also interested in the technical and business side of music. The Commercial Music major affords her the opportunity to write , perform and record her own original music, while developing her technical skills as a classical and jazz musician. Even though Olivia is passionate about, and grew up with, classical music, she is curious about other genres and loves exploring everything from classical to pop to jazz and anything in between! She is currently working with several pop and jazz groups as a singer and pianist.

Growing up in NJ, Olivia spent many years as a ballet dancer which has also impacted her love of music and its effect on movement and expression. When she is home, Olivia lives with her parents and her older sister, Arianna. They are very close, and are able to share their love of all kinds of music. She also shares her home with 3 dogs and a cat whom she misses very much when she is at school.