Mary Oliver is a violinist and violist who also performs on Hardanger fiddle. Her work spans contemporary composition and improvisation, with an interest in how these practices inform one another. She studied at San Francisco State University and Mills College, and completed a doctorate on improvised music at the University of California, San Diego in 1993. Her career includes premieres of works by composers such as Liza Lim and Brian Ferneyhough, collaborations with improvisers including Joëlle Léandre and Han Bennink, and performances with the ICP Orchestra and Magpie Music and Dance Company.