Olivia is currently in her second year of training at ANAM under the tutelage of Adam Chalabi.
Olivia completed a Bachelor of Music Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium where she studied with Janet Davies and was awarded the Dean’s List of Excellence in Academic Performance.
Olivia was born into a musical family and started learning violin with her father George Kowalik from the age of four. She always knew that music was the path that she wanted to take. Growing up in such a musical household, she aims to follow the footsteps of her older brothers who are in the Orava Quartet, one of Australia’s leading ensembles.
Olivia’s passion has grown, especially in orchestral playing. She was in the Sydney Youth Orchestra from 2018-2022 and was concertmaster in their flagship orchestra in 2022. She has held principal and associate positions in the Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, and L’Estro Armonico String Orchestra, and has recently played with Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra and Ensemble Apex.
Olivia has performed as a guest soloist with Wollongong Steel City Strings after winning the Wollongong Eisteddfod concerto category. She was also scheduled to play as a guest soloist with Penrith Symphony Orchestra after winning the Sydney Conservatorium High School concerto competition in 2019, which unfortunately could not go ahead due to Covid-19.
Olivia’s recent interests in repertoire have included early 20th century music ranging from French impressionism to mid-century Russian music. She also enjoys listening to and playing works by Polish composers, such as Szymanowski and Lutosławski, as a tribute to her Polish heritage. Other than playing the violin, Olivia loves to paint and to draw.
FROM: NSW. Lands of the Dharawal people.
Olivia is supported by ANAM Syndicate donors Geoff and Margaret Stewart, Rosalind Price and Jeanne McMullin.
Photo by Pia Johnson