“Foschi hits her marks with impeccable timing and finesse and is a name to watch out for.”
-Brent Black, Critical Jazz
“Olivia’s vocal work is “to die for” and if you scope out her rendition of “Here’s That Rainy Day“, you’ll hear immediately how true that is! […] It’s high energy tuneage like “Bridge” (my favorite of the 13 songs offered up) that will help you realize that you’re in the presence of a star in the making. A highly impressive jazz vocal adventure that any jazz fan worth their salt will rush to get.”
- Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation Magazine, Issue 132
“Foschi’s warm clear tone throughout her vocal range, and also her relaxed, rhythmic scatting style. Altogether, an outstanding début album. Her lyrics are thoughtful and well written, and the music has a contemporary jazz feel, whilst drawing on jazz tradition.”
- Debra Milne, Bebop Spoken Here
Olivia Foschi is a jazz singer, composer and educator born in San Francisco and raised in Italy. She discovered her passion for jazz while studying guitar and music theory with Roy Zimmerman in high school. In 2001 she was given the opportunity to study classical Nepali voice with established singer and composer Aavaas in Kathmandu and shifted her approach to vocals paying particular attention to color and rhythm. After earning her B.A. in English Literature Cum Laude (John Cabot University, Rome, Italy, 2004), Olivia studied jazz voice at the University of Music in Rome, and subsequently pursued undergraduate studies in jazz performance at the Music Academy 2000 in Bologna through Middlesex University, 2006-2009. Olivia was awarded first place at the Italian vocal competition “Jazz Women in Blues” (Naima Club, Forlì, Italy, 2009) and relocated to New York in the fall of 2010, studying mixed meter and polyrhythm with Marc Mommaas and voice with Fay Victor and Jeremiah Abiah. She has been studying vocal percussion in the form of classical Indian Konnakol with Ganesh Kumar since 2014, and seamlessly weaves different forms of traditional world music into her jazz performances, delivering her lines with "impeccable timing and finesse" (Brent Black, Critical Jazz).
Her debut album, 'Perennial Dreamer' was released in March 2013, produced by Ulysses Owens Jr., with Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Miki Hayama (piano), David Rosenthal (guitar), Stacy Dillard (saxophone), Mike Cottone (trumpet/flugelhorn), Michael Olatuja (bass), Cory Pesaturo (accordion). She released her second album, 'Fleeting Windows' in 2018, featuring Gil Goldstein (keys/accordion), Yotam Silberstein (guitar), Billy Test (piano), Alex Sipiagin (trumpet), Daniel Dickinson (sax/clarinet/flute), Joseph Doubleday (vibes), Marco Panascìa (bass), and Ulysses Owens Jr. (drums). Her latest album, 'A Window Within', which she co-produced with drummer Mauricio Zottarelli, was released in June 2024 and features Matt King (piano/Rhodes/melodica), Vinicius Gomes (guitar), Marco Panascìa (bass), and Mauricio Zottarelli (drums/percussion). The album offers a harmonious blend of jazz that transcends borders and time, inviting listeners to a world where every note speaks of growth, introspection, and the unbreakable spirit of humanity. Featuring mostly original compositions, this latest endeavor has cemented her place in the jazz world, earning notable accolades and hitting the jazz charts for 13 weeks straight.
Olivia has graced major stages in New York City, including The Blue Note, City Winery, BB Kings, Zinc Bar, and Drom, and has performed at festivals and clubs throughout the US, Europe and Japan, and was featured on NPR in 2016, 2017, 2021 and 2024 on WPPB’s live broadcast: The Jam Session Radio Hour hosted by John Landes. She has recorded and shared the stage with Gil Goldstein, Chris White, Warren Smith, Joseph Jarman, Thurman Barker, Ulysses Owens Jr., Gregoire Maret, Alex Sipiagin, Mauricio Zottarelli, Helio Alves, Greg Skaff, Mark Egan, Tommy Campbell, Lou Caputo, Erik Lawrence, Marco Panascìa, Stacy Dillard, Bill O'Connell, Matt King, Reza Khan, Vinicius Gomes and Yotam Silberstein among many others.
Olivia has been teaching workshops and private lessons at New York Jazz Workshop since 2012. She taught voice and jazz vocal ensemble at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music until relocating to Eastern Long Island where she continues to teach privately and became co-founder and Director of Education at East End Jazz, a women-led non-profit organization dedicated to bringing jazz education to schools, libraries, and community centers.
