Kathy Olson

Assistant Professor

Affiliated Departments

Harmony and Jazz Composition

kolson@berklee.edu

617-747-3139

Kathy Olson's website

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Courses Taught (3)

Harmony 2

HR-112

Harmony 2 for Entering Students

HR-114

Music Application and Theory

PW-111

Career Highlights

Leader/founder of, Olson Pingrey Quartet and Achilles Heal Saxophone Quartet
Current member of, Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra, Peter Kenagy's Monkfisk Jazz Orchestra, and Conical Cacophony
Selected recordings include, Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra: Down A Rabbit Hole, Summit Records (2018), Mehmet Ali Sanlikol Jazz Orchestra: whatsnext, and Olson Pingrey Quartet: Low Contrast (2011)
Instruments include, baritone sax (primary), tenor sax, alto sax, clarinet, bass clarinet, and flute
Studied with, John D'earth, Charlie Banacos, Jerry Bergonzi, and John McNeil

Education

School Name

New England Conservatory of Music

Degree

Master of Music (M.M.)

Field of Study

Jazz Performance

Date Degree Received

2006
School Name

University of Virginia-Main Campus

State or Province

Virginia

Degree

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Field of Study

Music

Date Degree Received

2002

In Their Own Words

"I would love for students to start developing a lifelong passion for the fundamentals as they study harmony at Berklee. As a musician, I work with these fundamentals every day. I have worked with them my whole musical life, hearing and feeling them in different ways as I have grown and changed throughout my career as a musician."

"As a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer, I use the concepts that I teach in the Harmony Department courses every day. Music theory is practical and beautiful to me, which makes it a joy to teach at Berklee."