Leïla Olivesi joins the faculty

The American School is pleased to welcome Leïla Olivesi to its teaching team, where she will be responsible for courses in arrangement and orchestration.

Leïla Olivesi is a French pianist and composer, winner of the Django Reinhardt Prize by the Académie du Jazz 2022 : Best French Musician of the year. She’s MA graduate in musicology and philosophy. In 2013, she received the Ellington Composers first prize, an international big band composing competition. In 2015, she was commissioned and composed the Suite Andamane for symphonic orchestra, jazz big band and choir. Her latest opus in 2022 ASTRAL, won a CHOC Jazzmag and INDISPENSABLE JazzNews. The previous opus in 2019, Suite Andamane,  received a « coup de cœur » from the Academy Charles Cros. She performed in many festivals as Jazz in Marciac, Jazz à Vienne, Ankara Jazz Festival, Festival Radio-France à Montpellier, Nouakchott jazz Festival, le Midem, Albertville Jazz Festival, Orléans Jazz Festival. She’s also a PhD student under the supervision of Laurent Cugny at the Sorbonne Universty, Iremus.

She gives lectures on Duke Ellington’s music and is curently vice-president of the Maison du Duke in Paris.

She performed in many festivals as Jazz in Marciac, Jazz à Vienne, Ankara Jazz Festival, Festival Radio-France à Montpellier, Nouakchott jazz Festival, le Midem, Albertville Jazz Festival, Orléans Jazz Festival.