Mary Oliver, violin, viola, and hardanger fiddle, is a performer whose virtuosity spans the worlds of scored and improvised music. Oliver (b. La Jolla, California) completed her studies at the University of California, San Diego where she received her Ph.D for her research in the theory and practice of improvised music. Her doctoral thesis, "Constellations in Play," identified a newkind of creative discipline, which Oliver has pursued with colleagues locally and around the world. As a soloist, Oliver has performed in numerous international festivals and premiered works by,among others, John Cage, Chaya Czernowin, Brian Ferneyhough, Lou Harrison, Joëlle Léandre, George E. Lewis, Liza Lim, and Iannis Xenakis. She has worked alongside improvising musicians such as Han Bennink, Mark Dresser, Cor Fuhler, Joëlle Leandre, Phil Minton and Alexander von Schlippenbach. Based in Amsterdam, Oliver is a member of the Instant Composers Pool (ICP) Orkest, and a regular collaborator with dancer/choreographer Michael Schumacher. Her current projects include two duos: Oliver & Heggen with contrabassist Rozemarie Heggen; and JOMO with cellist Johanna Varner. She is on the faculty at the Hogeschool voor het Kunst Utrechtteaching at the school for Kunst, Media and Technologie.