An accomplished pianist, and dedicated pedagogue, JENNIFER OLIVER began pursuing her love of the piano at age six in Dallas, Texas.  Studying under Monte Hill Davis, she achieved early success and recognition, seizing top awards in the Dallas Symphonic Festival, Mountain View College, University of Texas at Arlington Piano Solo Festival, and the Dallas Solo competitions.  After moving to Minnesota in 1994, she continued studying piano in the studio of Dr. Jay Hershberger, under whose direction she won awards in the Grand Forks Symphony and the WAMSO competitions, including a full-tuition scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival and School and a performance with the St. Paul Civic Symphony. She also captured first prize in numerous other competitions, including the Minnesota State MTNA competition, the Fargo-Moorhead Young Artists Solo Competition, the Lee High School Competition in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the Schubert Club Piano Competition in St. Paul, Minnesota, in both the high school and collegiate divisions. 

A freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a student of Dr. Paul Barnes, Jennifer garnered first prizes in the Nebraska Federation of Music Clubs and the Nebraska Music Teachers’ Association competition, and awards at the WAMSO competition. She was also selected to represent the West-Central division at the national level of the Music Teacher’s National Association Collegiate Piano Competition. 

Jennifer has played throughout the United States, Mexico, and Germany as both a solo and chamber musician. She has performed with many orchestras including the Fargo/Moorhead Symphony and the St. Paul Civic Symphony.  In addition, she has played in masterclasses for acclaimed pianists such as Jose Feghali, Stephen Hough, Anton Kuerti, and John Perry, and participated in many festivals including the Texas Conservatory for Young Artists, the Madeline Island Chamber Music Camp, the TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute, and the Aspen Music Festival and School. 

After transferring to the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas, Jennifer studied under renowned pedagogue and concert pianist, Dr. Robert Roux.  While at Rice University, she was awarded the coveted Wagoner Fellowship to study in Germany for one year, and won first prize in the Shepherd School Piano Concerto Competition, which resulted in a performance with the Shepherd School Symphony Orchestra in Stude Concert Hall last year.

In May 2005, Jennifer graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rice University with a Bachelor of Arts in German, a Bachelor of Music, and a Master of Music in piano performance. She is currently pursuing at Doctorate in Musical Arts at Rice University where she is a student of Dr. Robert Roux. Away from the piano, she enjoys running marathons, studying languages, collecting autographs, and scuba diving.