We have long wanted to revive the successful assistant conductor role that we had under Peter Stark (which notably included Andrew Gourlay went on to great things) and we are thrilled to be able to give this opportunity to a talented young female conductor. We are all very excited to work with Olivia!

Olivia is a London based conductor currently working as Conducting Fellow at St Martin-in-the-Fields, where she conducts weekly services with the choral scholars, concerts with the St Martin’s Voices and St Martin’s Chamber Ensemble and BBC Radio 3 Broadcasts. She recently graduated with Distinction from a master’s in choral conducting from the Royal Academy of Music, under the tuition of Patrick Russill where she was also winner of the Alan Kirby Prize.

Last year, Olivia was a participant of the Jette Parker Women Conductors scheme at the Royal Opera House, where she worked with the City of London Sinfonia, under the tuition of Alice Farnham, Sian Edwards and Jessica Cottis in conducting Verdi’s La Traviata. From this, she then went on to deputise as chorus master for Opera Holland Park’s production of Janacek’s The Cunning Little Vixen. Olivia also participated in the 2021 DIMA International Choral Conducting Competition, where she placed as a finalist and won the Gheorge Dima Special Prize. In 2020, she was also selected for the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholarship, where she received coaching from Harry Christophers and Eamonn Dougan in courses throughout the year. The choir have continued to form their own ensemble, Exodus, of which Olivia is now Musical Director, and she is also excited to be working with The Sixteen, assisting in conducting workshops this summer.

This summer, Olivia is also thrilled to have gained a place on the Dartington Summer School Conducting Course, where she will conduct the Dartington Festival Chamber Orchestra and she is incredibly excited to be joining the Ernest Read Symphony Orchestra team this year!