Olivia Hamilton

Clarinetist Olivia Hamilton joins the Minnesota Orchestra in September 2023. Originally from Texas, Hamilton enjoys exploring the full sonic experience that the clarinet can produce. Before joining the Minnesota Orchestra, she was a clarinetist with The Orchestra Now at Bard College, demonstrating her versatility in orchestral performance on stages across New York City and the New England region.

In the summer of 2023, Hamilton was selected as one of the clarinet fellows at the renowned Spoleto Festival USA. In previous summers she has traveled across the country and around the world to join institutions such as Classical Tahoe, Chautauqua Institution and the International Lyric Academy in Italy. Hamilton has been a finalist in the Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions Competition and regularly performs with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra. Further enhancing her orchestral expertise, she was invited to perform with the 2022 Kennedy Center Honors Orchestra, which was broadcast on CBS. Hamilton frequently performs with local orchestras and has joined the Princeton Symphony for the Princeton Festival for the past two summers. On top of her orchestral work, Hamilton has premiered several solo, chamber music and large ensemble works that allow unique voices to be heard in classical music.

Hamilton earned a bachelor of music and a master of music degree in clarinet performance from the University of North Texas and Northwestern University, respectively. During her schooling, she studied under Mark Nuccio, Steven Cohen, Gregory Raden and Dr. Kimberly Cole Luevano.