Olivia Palmer-Baker (1997*) is an Irish bassoonist, performer and curator based in Berlin, specialised in contemporary, historical and improvised music performance.

In her work, she explores - through artistic collaborations, performance and concert curation - the physical and temporal experience of music making. Her artistic practice is characterised by an investigation of boundaries and ‚Grey Areas’ between performers and spectators, and between sound, music and noise.

Upcoming projects include, as part of the IKF (Goethe Institute), the co-creation and -production of a concert-length work for bassoon, live electronics and dynamic light design in collaboration with composer John Aulich and Light Designer José del Avellanal Carreño. Other collaborations include with composers including Faidra Chafta-Douka (Artefact III, for solo Kontraforte), Arnau Brichs (Detective Silence, solo bassoon) and Dai Fujikura (Contour, bassoon version).

Olivia performs internationally as a soloist on bassoon and kontraforte, with previous highlights including at Rondò 2021 (Divertimento Ensemble, Italy), the Aldeburgh Festival (UK), SONify Graz (Austria), as well as further solo performances until now in Switzerland, Spain, Ireland, Hungary and Germany. She performs also with numerous European contemporary and historical music groups, including Ensemble Modern, the Lautten Compagney, Ensemblekollektiv Berlin, Basel Sinfonietta and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra, and has featured as an improviser in many settings from in the Lichtblick Kino (Untergrün concert series) to performances in the Berliner Dom.

As a founding member of the Berlin-based KOLLEKTIV UNRUHE, Olivia shares responsibility within the group for the creation and curation of concerts both in Germany and abroad, and is also active as a performer, improviser and composer. Upcoming projects include performing at Tranparent Sound Festival in Hungary, as well as a new, co-composed work to be performed at the 2025 edition of Klangwerkstatt Berlin.