Olivia Esther is establishing herself as a performance artist, educator and advocate for the arts in Canada. Hailed as a performer who “...plays with fearless conviction” (Winnipeg Free Press), Olivia has played with many of Canada's finest orchestras, ensembles and festivals. Ms. Esther earned a Bachelor of Music in horn performance and a Master of Education in Curriculum Studies from Acadia University. Her teachers and mentors include Joan Watson, John Zirbel, Denis Derome, Roger Kaza and Mary Lee. Ms. Esther is an alumni of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada having toured with the ensemble to Japan, Hong Kong and Western Canada in 2002.
Olivia has held positions with Kvintten Nord in Finland (2007) and with the University of New Brunswick as Musician in Residence (2010).
In 2010, Ms. Esther founded Viva Arts, a not for profit organization that promotes music and arts education in the Canadian public school system. Since its inception, Viva Arts has run Viva Camp, teaching children ages 9-13 to play a band instrument from scratch. In 2011, the camp was hailed as, “the best money ever spent on a camp.” Viva Arts has produced educational concerts in New Brunswick as well as brought internationally renowned composer, musician and educator, David Amram, to Toronto for a week of lectures, workshops and concerts. Olivia performed the Canadian premiere of Amram's Concerto for Horn and Orchestra with the York Symphony Orchestra in 2012.
Olivia resides in Toronto performing as an extra in the horn sections of the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet Orchestra, the Esprit Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic and Brantford Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with such Artists as Barbra Streisand, Herbie Hancock, Rufus Wainwright, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Boy George, David Bryne, Supertramp's Roger Hodgson, Il Divo, The Tenors, Andrea Bocelli, Lang Lang, Michael Bublé, Jann Arden, Holly Cole, and Steven Page. She has recorded for CBC, Naxos, and various jingles of which one was featured at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
Olivia Esther holds the Principal chair of the Canadian Sinfonietta and is a founding member of the Sinfonietta Winds. She is on faculty at The Royal Conservatory of Music and IMC Music Camp.