School of Music

Olivia Block is a media artist and composer. Currently, her practice includes live performance, recordings, audio-visual installations, sound design, and scores for orchestra and chamber music concerts. Block's studio pieces often combine field recordings, electronic sounds, electric organ, piano and long chamber music passages. She composes scores for ensemble, orchestra, pipe organ and piano. Her recordings are published on Another Timbre, Erstwhile, Glistening Examples, NNA Tapes, Room40, Sedimental, and Touch, among other labels.

Block performs using various techniques and instruments. She plays improvised and composed pieces on synth organ, laptop, analog synth, amplified objects, inside of grand piano and microphone, among other materials. Block creates multi-channel diffusion concerts and site-specific, multi-channel sound installations. She recently completed a 14-channel sound installation featuring sounds from Harry Bertoia's "Sonambient” sculptures for the Nasher Sculpture Gallery in Dallas, TX.

Artist in Residence Series- Fall 2022

Planned Activities:  In Fall 2022, the Herb Alpert School of Music at the California Institute of the Arts presents the very first Artist In Residence Week. From Monday, November 7th to Friday the 11th, four artists will visit the CalArts campus to give presentations/workshops, perform, collaborate, and engage with the student body and the School of Music’s facilities. Most instruction will be suspended that week, allowing students to fully immerse in the programming.

Resident activities may include but are not limited to solo performances, group concerts, presentations and workshops on topics of the resident's choosing, in studio collaborations between residents and students, live ensemble collaborations between residents and students, and panel discussions.