Composers

Michael Oliva

Originally trained as a biochemist, Michael Oliva is now a composer, with a fondness for writing operas and music for electronics and woodwind.

He was composer in residence with the contemporary music ensemble rarescale for nearly 15 years, and performed regularly with them in the UK and the United States. In addition he ran madestrange opera, a company dedicated to producing new forms of the genre for modern audiences. With madestrange he has premiered his multimedia operas Black & Blue at BAC in 2004, Midsummer in 2005 and The Girl Who Liked to be Thrown Around - presented as a work in progress in Scotland in 2006 and in full production at the Tete a Tete Opera Festival, London in 2007, and the Grimeborn Opera Festival 2008. In 2010 he completed a new Requiem for the choir Mosaic, which was premiered at St Alban's Cathedral, and completed a new full length opera in 2015 as part of his Doctoral studies at the Royal College of Music.

As well as over 40 theatre scores, works include Xas-Orion for oboe/cor and electronics, Into the Light for oboe/cor and piano (both recorded by Paul Goodey on his CD 'New Ground'), Torso for wind orchestra, Cyclone for wind quintet with piano, a piece for large ensemble and electronics The Speed of Metals, Night Crossing for wind trio with computer and Apparition and Release for quartertone alto flute and electronics.

Michael taught composition with electronics at the Royal College of Music, where he was 'Area Leader for Electroacoustic Music', and organises the termly "From the Soundhouse" series of concerts of electronic music. He lectured in music technology at Imperial College, London.