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Born in Switzerland but raised in California, Olivier Blakney values versatility, both a performer and pedagogue. With the Volante Winds Quintet he has performed at the Mineral Point Chamber Music Festival in Wisconsin, the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival, the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival in Jeju South Korea, the American Music Festival in Morehead City North Carolina, and Chamber Music Wilmington. Volante Winds were also named as semifinalists in the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and a semifinalist in the 2017 Plowman Chamber Music Competition.

As a recording artist, Olivier has participated in a wide range of projects from Mahler symphonies to a CD of rock music for orchestra, which has generated over 1,000,000 views on YouTube and reviews in The A.V. Club, Nerdist and New York Daily News. Olivier has also performed with the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, American Youth Symphony, Santa Monica Symphony, Columbus Philharmonic and Redlands Symphony Orchestra.

As a proud member of Indiana University’s Nairobi based Tunaweza Kimuziki project Olivier has worked to increase the quality of music education in Kenya. Olivier embraces the use of technology in teaching, with an online based private studio which includes students located around the world. His students have been accepted to prestigious programs such as the Frost School of Music in Miami, FL, Boston University Tanglewood Institute Horn Camp and Young Artist Program as well as all-state ensembles in California, Virginia, and Alabama and membership in the Chicago and Sacramento Youth Symphonies among other achievements. Olivier integrates music history and theory into his pedagogical techniques and has had multiple articles published in The Horn Call on how music theory can be used to enhance musical interpretations and performances.