Bio
Olivia Cirisan is a gamelan musician, percussionist, singer/songwriter, producer and audio engineer based in Southeast Michigan. Olivia holds her MM and BM in Percussion Performance from the University of Michigan, and was a 2024 Graduate Fellow in the Certificate in World Performance Studies, with a focus in Balinese Gamelan.
Having studied gamelan since 2022, Olivia first learned to play Balinese gender wayang under the mentorship of Gavin Ryan. Since then, she has studied gender wayang, gamelan angklung and gamelan selonding in Bali under her teachers I Ketut Buda Astra, Pande Ganha, I Nyoman Tagog, and I Nyoman Windha. In 2024, she taught alongside Gavin as Assistant Director of Gamelan Kyai Telaga Madu and Gamelan Madu Biru at the University of Michigan.
Olivia is currently the Vice President of the Michigan Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society. Having performed at renowned venues like Carnegie Hall and Mass MoCA, she also regularly performs locally, both in regional orchestras as well as with her contemporary classical group FLYDLPHN and her pop/percussion duo VIRID. A curious explorer of multiple worlds within the music industry, Olivia frequently works amongst various different disciplines and genres, combining her multiple areas of expertise together. She has written, recorded and produced various solo records and records with VIRID. A collaborator at heart, she has premiered over 40 chamber and solo works by many composers, and has worked on notable records such as John Luther Adams’ GRAMMY-nominated Sila: The Breath of the World, Michael Gordon’s Field of Vision and A New Age for New Age, Vol. 5.
In addition to actively performing, writing and producing music, Olivia is passionate about education and has been teaching since 2020. She currently teaches a private percussion studio of all ages.
Education
BM Percussion Performance – University of Michigan
MM Percussion Performance – University of Michigan
Certificate of World Performance Studies (Balinese Gamelan) – University of Michigan