BIOGRAPHY

2023 Bio

Olivia Hughart is a jazz saxophonist, woodwind doubler, composer, advocate, and a recent graduate from New York University, with a major in Jazz Studies with a minor in Public Policy and Management. She is a gigging and recording musician with bands in New York City, Philadelphia, and beyond. Hughart is a member of the NYChillharmonic, the Grace Fox Big Band, and the Andrew Neu Big Band, has subbed for Triad Brass, New Heights Brass Band, DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and is frequently called for off-Broadway productions. Hughart has attracted the attention of the press from various publications including Philly Magazine, NPR Live Sessions, WRTI, NYU News, Cool Jazz Radio, Shoutout LA, Voyage LA, and various podcasts. Hughart is a Presser Scholar, 2023 JEN Mary Jo Papich Women in Jazz Scholarship winner, 2020 Bruce Montgomery Foundation Springboard Grant Winner, and 2020 Pennsylvania Project Stream Grant winner.

​

Hughart is also the founder and artistic director of Key of She Jazz (keyofshejazz.org), which is an organization that supports and encourages girls and non-binary students in jazz starting in middle school (est. 2014). In 2019, she organized the first-ever Key of She Jazz conference, attended by over 200 students, educators, and musicians from the Philadelphia area and surrounding areas. Since then, she has organized four virtual events, and a second in-person event in February 2023, and has led numerous presentations regarding gender in jazz.