Olivia performs locally in the Ann Arbor / Ypsilanti area with various groups including her percussion/electronic music duo VIRID, her new music sextet FLYDLPHN, and her percussion trio Brain Pocket. In addition to being a performer and co-director of various ensembles, she is a co-producer of the concert series VIRID and Friends based in Ann Arbor.
Both through ensembles and independently, Olivia has commissioned and/or premiered a variety of works. Most notably, Olivia was a part of Michael Gordon’s Field of Vision premiere and tour with the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble. She also has commissioned and premiered chamber and solo works by Ancel Neeley and The Honourable Elizabeth A. Baker.
Through the UM Percussion Ensemble, Olivia has played on the 2023 GRAMMY-nominated recording of Sila: The Breath of the World by John Luther Adams. Additionally, her track “wash” has been featured on A New Age for New Age, Vol. 5, a collaboration between A New Age for New Age and the University of Michigan's Modern Percussion Lab.
An active composer, producer and singer/songwriter as well, Olivia’s work has been showcased internationally, on radio shows like Brighton, UK’s 1BTN.FM, Latvia’s NABA FM 95.8 and Berlin’s Refuge Worldwide radio. Olivia has been a finalist for the 2022 Petrichor Music Competition, and her work has been featured in the 2023 Maker Music Festival. Most recently, her music has been a part of Untergeschoss der Pandora’s 2023 Pandora’s Music Box advent calendar.
Olivia’s work, both as a performer and a composer, focuses on pushing the boundaries of percussion within the scope of contemporary classical music. She strives to continue exploring and experimenting while also staying connected to her classical percussion training and her upbringing surrounded by songwriting and popular music.
Currently, Olivia is pursuing a Masters of Music in Percussion Performance at the University of Michigan, where she also received her Bachelor’s degree in 2023. She is presently studying with Douglas Perkins and Ian Antonio, and has studied previously with Tom Sherwood, Michael Gould, Jonathan Ovalle and Jeremy Epp.
View her curriculum vitae here and her full repertoire list here.
Olivia Cirisan is a musician, percussionist, teacher, singer/songwriter, composer and producer based in Ann Arbor, MI. Olivia loves making music of any kind, but particularly has a passion for contemporary, chamber, electroacoustic and electronic music.
