Olivier, Rufus

Principal Bassoon

Rufus Olivier is the Principal Bassoonist with the San Francisco Opera and the San Francisco Ballet. At the age of 21, he became a bassoonist with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra before moving to his current positions with the Opera and Ballet.

Mr. Olivier has been guest soloist with numerous orchestras throughout the United States, Japan, and France, has premiered new works for the bassoon, and was featured in live radio recitals in Los Angeles. He is a founding member of the Anchor Chamber Players, the Midsummer Mozart Orchestra, and the Stanford Wind Quintet. He has recorded many movie, video, CD and TV soundtracks including Disney’s Never Cry Wolf and San Francisco Opera’s Grammy-nominated CD Orphée et Eurydice. He was awarded a Grammy for the soundtrack Elmo in Grouchland.

Prior to arriving in the Bay Area, Mr. Olivier performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Neville Marriner and the Goldofsky Opera Tours. He studied with David Briedenthal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and is on the music faculties of Stanford University and Mills College. In 1993 Mayor Frank M. Jordon awarded Mr. Olivier the Seal of The City and County of San Francisco, in recognition of his "Exemplary Accomplishment On The Occasion of Black History Month." In 2005 Rufus was the featured subject of the lead story in the International Musician, a publication that reaches musicians in the United States, Canada, and Europe.