Olivia Trummer

Olivia Trummer was born in Stuttgart into a musicians' family. From the beginning Olivia enjoyed being exposed to a world where music comes first. Encouraged and supported by her parents to follow her instinct she soon discovered the grand piano as a means to express herself and to help translate her perception into music. Not only has Olivia managed to keep her sense of curiosity and musical daring alive since then but it is the "born improviser's gene" that is the core of her artistic universe as a performer and as a composer. Giving birth to dozens of original songs, Olivia has made her mark on the international jazz scene as a musician with a voice and spirit all her own.

With her ability to blend lyrical melodies with rich harmony and rhythmical sophistication she is winning the hearts of both Instrumental and Vocal Jazz lovers alike. Olivia, who is classically trained, has been awarded many prizes as a classical pianist and as a jazz pianist and having majored in both, graduated with honours from the University of Music in Stuttgart. With her broad musical spectrum Olivia has earned various awards and scholarships (i.e. National Awards at "Jugend musiziert" 1999-2003, Art Foundation Baden-Württemberg 2010, Bruno-Frey Foundation 2010, Jazz Award Ingolstadt 2014).

She currently receives funding from Initiative Musik and Bayer Kultur in Leverkusen as their "stART" Jazz Artist 2013-2016. Despite her tender age, Olivia already possesses a remarkable discography of six albums as a bandleader. Having been described as "Young, gifted and German!" following the release of her debut CD, the instrumental Nach Norden in 2006, Olivia again produced a second instrumental album Westwind in 2008, winning much praise from the critics - German Record Critics' Award 03/2008, five star reviews in Stereoplay Magazine, "CD of the month" at NDR radio and in Rondo Magazine.

With the release of Nobody Knows in 2010, Olivia introduced herself to the world as a vocalist and songwriter of English lyrics. Her experimental release Poesiealbum (2011) followed where she blended German lyrics with compositions of generous arcs of suspense and plenty room for improvisation. Olivia has performed her original music in many countries including Germany, USA, Austria, Ireland, England, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Russia. She has appeared in top-class concert venues like Carnegie Hall, The Jazz Standard (NYC), Konzerthaus (Berlin), Konzerthaus and "Porgy & Bess" (Vienna), The National Concert Hall (Dublin), "Pizza Express Live" (London) and Schloss Elmau.

Her ability to improvise and respond sincerely to any musical situation on stage shows how deeply rooted Olivia is in jazz, using music as another mother tongue. The spontaneous duet with Bobby McFerrin at Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden led to standing ovations in the audience. Kurt Rosenwinkel contributed to Olivia's album Fly Now as a special guest after having discovered a very natural musical connection with her at jam sessions in Berlin. Olivia has been working intensely with Bodek Janke whom she encountered in 2007. They have recorded several CDs with various projects (Olivia Trummer Trio, East Drive) and were invited to perform as a duo in Austria, Russia, Poland and Saudi-Arabia. Following a very successful tour of Ireland in October 2013 Olivia returned to Ireland in November 2014 to open for The Charles Lloyd New Quartet.

Collaborations with Olivia include the NDR Big Band, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jimmy Cobb, Matt Penman, Obed Calvaire, Wolfgang Haffner, Martin Gjakonovski, Jean-Lou Treboux, Sebastian Studnitzky, Johannes Lauer and Matthias Schriefl to name a few.