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Isabelle Olivier

Harpist, Composer and Educator

Professional musician for more than 20 years, performing and recording with many great musicians such as Beñat Achiary, Michel Bénita, Thomas Beuf, David Binney, Marc Buronfosse, Tommy Crane, Tam de Villiers, Catherine Delaunay, Jacques Dor, Peter Erskine, Alexandra Grimal, Brigitte Jacquot, David Linx, Didier Lockwood, Fabrice Moreau, Louis Moutin, Eivind Opsvick, Monica Passos, Joe Quitzke, Johan Renard, Olivier Sens, Sébastien Texier, David Venitucci, Norma Winstone…, and many other in more than 20 countries.

Recorded 6 albums of her own compositions in France and in Germany, and a DVD. She composed music for theater, film scores, exhibitions, poetry, dance and puppet shows. She has been nominated for the French Victory of Jazz for “Year Revelation” and received an “Outstanding Musicianship“award from the Berklee School of Jazz in Boston.

Teacher in Master Classes all over the world: France, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, Germany, England, Canada, Bulgaria, Mauritania, Senegal, and Spain. Member of Paros Jazz Academy for the second time.

Awards

Honors and prizes
1982 Bachelor of Science – Orsay (France)
1984 Gold Unanimity Prize with Congrats of Conservatory Valle de Chevreuse (France)
1988 Superior Graduate of National Superior Conservatory of Music in Lyon (France)
1995 State diploma for Harp Education
1997 Jazz Magazine for “Au pied, la mer !”
1999 Musical Aptitude Certificate
2005 Outstanding Musician Ship form Berklee College in Boston (Usa)
2006 Nominated Revelation of the year from French Victory of Jazz
2009 CHOC best CD for “My Foolish harp”
2012 Citizen Jazz Choice for “Dodecasongs” and Jazz Selection for Jazz News

Artistic residences
2011 France Longjumeau Theater “Dodecasongs” from solo au Big Sea Band (8 musicians) with guests Norma Winstone and David Linx and the Choir “Les Contamines” directed by Annie Couture France Parc Naturel de la Vallée de Chevreuse
“4 saisons with an Harp” Solo Concerts on Sunset and Sunrise
2010 South Korea Seoul November Duo, trio and Quartet with Youn Sun Nah, Olivier Sens, Olivier Py
France Longjumeau Theater “Dodecasongs” from solo au Big Sea Band (8 musicians)
2009 France Lyon Opera (69) “My foolish harp” from Solo to Quintet with David Linx, David Venitucci, Michel Benita et Peter Erskine
2008 France Département des Yvelines/ Elsa Triolet and Aragon House in St Arnoult “Le fou d’Elsa” with Youn Sun Nah, Jean Sclavis, Guido Zorn and Joël Allouche
2007 France Département des Yvelines/ Elsa Triolet and Aragon House in St Arnoult”Aurélien” with Didier Lockwood, Jean Sclavis, Renaud Garcia-Fons et Joël Allouche
2007 Lyon Opera from solo to heptet with Thomas Savy, Olivier Sens, Sébastien Texier, Johan Renard, Marc Buronfosse, Antoine Banville and quintet with Youn Sun Nah, David Venitucci, Michel Benita and Peter Erskine


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3
Album Review

Isabelle Olivier / Rez Abassi: OASIS

Read "OASIS" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


The combination of acoustic guitar and harp is seldom heard in jazz and improvisational circles but it is explored here in exciting fashion by harpist Isabelle Olivier and guitarist Rez Abbasi. Accompanied by Prabhu Edouard on tabla and David Paycha on drums, they bring their instruments' sounds together in a variety of musical textures ranging from intense to contemplative. The guitar and harp shimmer delicately together on “Cherry Blossom" and swoop and dive with swagger on their version ...

4
Album Review

Rez Abbasi: OASIS

Read "OASIS" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Guitarist Rez Abbasi and harpist Isabelle Olivier's OASIS (an acronym for Olivier Abbasi Sound In Sound) is embodiment of fusion. Not the variety you may recognize as jazz-rock fusion, more like fusion cooking, for example Korean-Mexican or sushi-pizza. Okay, not sushi-pizza, but you get the idea. Olivier and Abbasi are pulling together jazz, Indian-Pakistani, and European classical music without compromising the character of each. Abbasi, a Pakistani-American is better known than his French partner (who lives part time ...

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“This musician [...] never fails to " magical " aesthetics attached to it. Alone or faced with electronic machines by Olivier Sens, she develops a language almost Monkish, refusing any gratuitous virtuosity in favor of an exploration of the potentialities of this instrument.” Bernard Loupias - Le Nouvel Observateur

“Between the notes and silence, harmony and dissonance, purity and artifice, the heart of Isabelle Oliver continues to swing. This graceful indecision gives all her wealth to expressive music and narrative, which is finally able to be collected without being consensually crass.”Richard Robert - Les Inrockuptibles

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Photos

Concerts

May 21 Tue

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

OASIS

Enja Records/Yellowbird
2019

buy

Dodecasongs

Enja Records
2012

buy

My Foolish Harp

Enja Records
2009

buy

Island # 41

1 Night CD
2005

buy

Funny stream

DRC / Melody
2000

buy

Timeline

From: OASIS
By Isabelle Olivier

Videos

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