*This event is not in Chicago

Wednesday August 19, 2026.

Carson Cooman organ recital (premiere of Carillon and performance of Better Than Good Enough; Just Say Stagger; Psychological Conducting; and Back Off!). St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Nantucket, MA. 7:00 pm

Dr. Olivia Kieffer is a composer, percussionist, and educator who creates energetic, life-giving music that blends fantasy and reality. From adventures with toy pianos and slide whistles, to scores for traditional ensembles large and small, her work embraces the ecstatic, the silly, and the heartfelt—seeking to bring joy to uncertain places. Olivia is a native of Wisconsin and was educated at the University of Miami (DMA in Composition), the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Georgia State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has held faculty positions at Grand Valley State University and Reinhardt University and has taught composition, theory, percussion, and world music. As a percussionist at home in both classical and rock worlds, Olivia is a member of smol ensemble, and was previously a member of the Chix with Stix Percussion Group and the bandleader/drummer for Clibber Jones Ensemble.
Olivia’s musical mentors include percussionists Allen Otte and Stuart Gerber, and composers Marc Mellits, Douwe Eisenga, William Susman, Jon Welstead, Charles N. Mason, and Lansing McLoskey. She is best-known for her collections of 127 widely-played toy piano miniatures (which have also emerged in new guises played on many different instruments) and her exuberantly apocalyptic concert band work …and then the Universe exploded. Her catalog of more than 200 pieces includes music for orchestra, band, chamber ensembles of both unusual and traditional scoring, and solo music for various instruments. Olivia formerly served on the Percussive Arts Society Composition Committee and the Diversity Alliance, and is a member of the International Alliance for Women in Music.