Pianist, composer Olivia Pérez-Collellmir released her debut full-length album OLIVIA on September 15, 2023.
A wonderfully nuanced and diverse collection of music spanning many of Olivia’s own musical interests, this extraordinary recording explores the marriage of flamenco music and Latin jazz with Spanish folk traditions and classical music, creating a universal sound with no musical boundaries.
Hailed as a “Spanish virtuoso” who adds “a flamenco touch to chamber jazz”, Olivia captures the indigenous Catalan sounds of her hometown of Barcelona, Spain.
Olivia Pérez-Collellmir is a solo pianist, composer and music director from Barcelona, Spain. Her musical and creative life as a pianist and composer are dedicated to the celebration and contemporary transformation of her Spanish – and more specifically, Catalan roots.
Olivia started playing piano at the age of four and began studying under Núria Bonells, a disciple of Alicia de Larrocha, and entered The Superior Conservatory of Music in Barcelona at the age of eight.
As a young scholar pianist, Olivia toured performing Faure’s Nocturnes and Bach’s Partitas and also recorded for the National Radio of Spain.
In addition, she was selected to play at the Centre de Musique Hindemith in Switzerland on the international performance piano stage. After receiving bachelor’s degrees in classical performance from the Conservatori Superior de Música de Barcelona and philosophy from the University of Barcelona, Olivia became a head of music for the Department of Education of Catalonia where she conducted, recorded, toured, and performed.
According to composer Osvaldo Golijov, her music “is a striking and gorgeous distillation of profound lyricism and rhythms that are ferocious and elegant at the same time.”
Olivia puts her captivating technique and artistry on full display on her new recording. With OLIVIA the pianist stays true to the Spanish influences that have shaped her artistic sound and identity as a musician; the recording also makes some exotic escapes to India and the Middle East.