Olivia is a pianist, teacher, researcher, author, and music festival adjudicator. She holds a MA in Music and Feminist Studies from the University of Ottawa, an Honours B.Mus. in Piano Performance from Western University, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Music and Education at the University of Ottawa. Olivia speaks across Canada and the US, giving workshops on inclusivity and diversity in the piano studio, gender and music, teaching the piano music of BIPOC composers, and teaching contemporary music to young students. Olivia is an in-demand adjudicator of piano in music festivals across Canada. She is a researcher on gender and music in Canadian music conservatories and is the author of Loud and Clear: A Guide to Levelled Piano Music by Women Composers in the 20th and 21st Centuries which includes nearly 4,000 pieces of music levelled for the pianist from Preparatory levels to a professional level which is now approved for any Conservatory Canada piano exams.
Olivia has written articles for the Canadian Music Teacher Magazine, ORMTA Notes Magazine, and the book Hands-On Piano. In 2020 received a Canadian Government SSHRC grant for her research on gender and race in the conservatory curriculum. In addition, Olivia has won the undergraduate and graduate level CFMTA Lorna Wanzel Prize in research for her academic writing on the piano music of BIPOC women.
Olivia has almost a decade of piano teaching experience and is affiliated with the Ontario Registered Music Teacher’s Association and the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers. In addition to her MA and B.Mus, Olivia holds a Piano Pedagogy Certificate from the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her students thrive in music festivals and examinations and have received gold medals for top marks in the province.
Olivia is a solo and collaborative performer, having performed lecture recitals and solo recitals in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Mississippi, and Portugal. Her repertoire always centres on the music of women, highlighting composers often overlooked by the classical canon. Olivia presently accompanies the Goulbourn Jubilee Singers adult, teen, and children’s choirs, and is the director of music and choral conductor for St. Stephen’s Anglican Church. In addition, she collaborates with other singers in the Ottawa region. Olivia plays in a piano duo with her husband, Nick Busch, and the two have performed around southern Ontario at chamber music festivals and concerts.
Olivia aims to elevate the voices of women through her performance, research, speaking, and writing.
