Olivia Katz is a joyful, engaging, and dynamic cellist with a passionate interest in contemporary classical music. Olivia strives to create an interactive, inventive, and accessible environment in which the audience is encouraged to experience classical music, art, and beauty through a new lens. In addition to musicians and composers, Olivia collaborates with playwrights, singers, painters, actors, sculptors, and poets in multiple contexts and is dedicated to bringing artists’ visions to life. Currently in Boston, Olivia is the cellist in the Semiosis Quartet–a Boston-based string quartet dedicated to presenting a captivating and diverse contemporary classical repertoire.

In Spring 2024, Olivia graduated from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a Master of Contemporary Classical Music Performance. During their time at Boston Conservatory, most notably, Olivia played in the contemporary classical ensemble contraBAND, BoCoCelli, Felix Quartet, collaborated and performed with The Rhythm Method, and recently premiered Marti Epstein’s Guggenheim piece In Praise of Broken Clocks with Sound Icon. Outside of Boston Conservatory, Olivia premiered eight works through New Music Mosaic, three works by doctoral composition students at Boston University, Elsie Bae Han’s act Natural~ as a soloist with string orchestra with the Horizon Ensemble, and had their own graphic score premiered at the Swiss Institute by Duo Indigo.

In 2021 while living in Portland, Oregon, Olivia collaborated with and premiered Carmen Burbridge and Jack Aldisert’s UNEARTHED—a play in which they shared the stage and accompanied the actors with solo cello for the entirety of the show, which was composed by Jack Aldisert and Olivia themself. Additionally, at the University of Puget Sound as a part of their undergraduate degree recital, they worked with queer poets and created six short and indeterminate solo cello works that coincided with each poem. Olivia has composed several graphic and indeterminate works and is looking forward to continuing composition as an additional form of musical expression alongside cello performance.

Olivia received their masters degree under Rhonda Rider and David Russell, and their Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance at University of Puget Sound under Alistair MacRae. They have also been a student of Sarah Brady, Kivie Cahn-Lipman, Diane Chaplin, Judith Eissenberg, Vimbayi Kaziboni, Mariel Roberts, Nancy Jo Snider, Brenda Villard, Alice Yoo, and Matthew Zalkind.

Olivia attended the Cortona Sessions for New Music, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and Brevard Music Center. In 2024, Olivia is attending New Music on the Point, Harvard Chamber Music Festival, and Longy’s Divergent Studio. 

Outside of cello performance, Olivia was chosen to speak on the behalf of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee Music Department at the annual Named Scholars Tea, and enjoyed working as an ESL tutor during their time in graduate school. Olivia has been a camp counselor, a nanny, and worked at a thrift store; they especially enjoy being in nature, seeing live music, and exploring museums and antique stores. 

Email: Olivia@SemiosisQuartet.com

Instagram: @olivia.katz.cello