Born in Stuttgart into a family of musicians, Olivia Trummer began studying classical piano at the age of three. She soon developed a passion for composition and improvisation as well, initially learning entirely by ear without knowing how to read music. Relying solely on her memory when learning and performing music – whether works by Bach, Mozart, Ravel, or her own early compositions – led her to develop the ability to craft “instantly memorable” melodies, as noted by Jazzwise magazine.
After graduating with honors in both jazz and classical piano from the University of Music in Stuttgart, she received a DAAD scholarship that enabled her to complete a Master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Arriving in the Big Apple at age 22 with two instrumental albums already released under her name, she began to develop her vocal talent, which soon became a central element of her musical identity. Since then, she has pursued all these dimensions in parallel: performing classical and jazz repertoire, composing (sometimes for small orchestras), writing songs, and singing in three languages.
With ten critically acclaimed albums to her credit, Olivia has emerged as a singular artist who continues to surprise her listeners. She has performed as a soloist and bandleader at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Porgy & Bess Vienna, National Concert Hall Dublin, and in major festivals including Jazz Fest London, Umbria Jazz, and Jazzfest Bonn. She has collaborated with renowned artists such as Eric Clapton, Bobby McFerrin, Jimmy Cobb, Fabrizio Bosso, Mario Biondi, Luciano Biondini, Gabriele Mirabassi, Tim Garland, Wolfgang Haffner, Caecilie Norby, and the DR and NDR Big Bands. Her long-standing collaboration with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has brought her to more than fifty venues and international festivals, including Montreux Jazz Festival, Birdland (New York), Blue Note Tokyo, Ronnie Scott’s (London), and the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Los Angeles.
She has also received numerous awards, including the Jazz Award Baden-Württemberg, Jazz Award Ingolstadt, Bruno Frey Music Prize, as well as production support from Initiative Musik and Bayer Kultur in Leverkusen.
In addition to leading her own projects (Olivia Trummer Trio and other ensembles), she is active as a soloist – at the piano and with voice – and also collaborates with larger ensembles. After her acclaimed 2019 performance with the Beethovenorchester Bonn at the Bonn Opera House, where she opened Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with a freely improvised introduction that earned her a standing ovation, she returned in 2024 as soloist with the Reutlingen Philharmonic. There, she performed Haydn’s Piano Concerto No. 11 before leading the audience into the world of jazz with a full set of her original works, singing and playing together with the orchestra. In 2025 she will collaborate with the Grammy-winning SWR Big Band, conducted by Magnus Lindgren.
On June 6, 2025, her new solo album Like Water was released by Warner Music Italy. Recorded in New York City, it marks the beginning of her collaboration with legendary producer Russ Titelman – three-time Grammy winner and iconic producer of landmark albums by Rickie Lee Jones, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Randy Newman, and George Benson, among others.