Flutist Olivia Staton was appointed Second Flute of The Philadelphia Orchestra at the start of the 2018-19 season at the age of 21, becoming the orchestra's youngest member at the time. She is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where she received a Bachelor of Music and studied with Jeffrey Khaner. Upon graduating, she was awarded the Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Music. Her previous teachers include Aaron Goldman and Jennifer Lapple.
Olivia performed as acting principal flute for the Philadelphia Orchestra’s 2023 European Tour with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and can also be heard as principal flute on the orchestra’s recent albums with Deutsche Grammophon. She has appeared as guest principal with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and has also performed with the National Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony. In 2018 Olivia was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in Lenox, Massachusetts, and for three previous summers she attended the Aspen Music Festival and School where she served as principal flute of the Aspen Conducting Academy for two summers.
As a soloist, Olivia most recently performed Carl Reinecke’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra with conductor Andrew Constantine and the Reading Symphony. She has also appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and conductor Nicholas McGegan, and the Main Line Symphony Orchestra with Don Liuzzi of the Philadelphia Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Olivia has performed with the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble and Network for New Music. During the summer, Olivia performs with Archipelago Collective, a chamber music series on San Juan Island (WA) where her family lives. Previously, Olivia performed in the New York Philharmonic Biennial as a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, as well as Juilliard’s ChamberFest. Olivia has performed with various chamber ensembles in Alice Tully Hall, David Geffen Hall, Seiji Ozawa Hall, the Metropolitan and Whitney Museums of Art, and the Aspen Art Museum.
Olivia has served on the faculties of the Philadelphia International Music Festival and Metropolitan Concert Artists, both summer music intensives. Olivia has also coached Philadelphia's All-City Orchestra, Philadelphia Sinfonia, and been a guest at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute, Interlochen Arts Academy, Luzerne Music Center, and the Curtis Institute of Music. Olivia has been the featured Guest Artist for the Flute Society of Greater Philadelphia's annual Flute Fair, giving a masterclass and solo recital. During the year, Olivia is a regular coach for the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra (PYO) Music Institute and teaches lessons privately.
Olivia is a Yamaha Performing Artist.
