Violin, viola, and hardanger fiddle player Mary Oliver is a performer whose virtuosity spans the worlds of scored and improvised music. Born in La Jolla, California, Oliver completed her studies at the University of California, San Diego, where she received her PhD for her research in the theory and practice of improvised music. Her doctoral thesis, “Constellations in Play,” identified a new kind of creative discipline, which Oliver has pursued with colleagues locally and around the world.

As a soloist, Oliver has performed in numerous international festivals and premiered works by, among others, John Cage, Chaya Czernowin, Brian Ferneyhough, Lou Harrison, Joëlle Léandre, George E. Lewis, Liza Lim, and Iannis Xenakis. She has worked alongside improvising musicians and dancers such as Han Bennink, Mark Dresser, Katie Duck, Cor Fuhler, Phil Minton, Alexander von Schlippenbach, and Michael Schumacher.

Based in Amsterdam, Oliver is a member of the Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Orkest, and a regular collaborator with dancer/choreographer Michael Schumacher. Her current projects include two trios: one with Han Bennink and Mark Dresser and the other with guitarist Jasper Stadhouders and bassist Wilbert de Joode. She is on the faculty at the Hogeschool voor het Kunst Utrecht.