Oliver Larsen | Music / Performing Arts

The passion I’ve found in music has become a crucial pillar of who I am and how I approach life. Not only is it an amazing form of expression and security, but also a community of diverse minds and amazing people. And the things you learn from music are so applicable in every aspect of life, from musical etiquette to stylistic approaches. I’ve played a variety of instruments and a variety of genres since getting into music when I started high school, but have eventually settled my focus on trumpet (and a bit of piano), mostly in jazz genres. I really enjoy the freedom that jazz provides. You can play emotional soft ballads and then play up-tempo, frantic bebop, or you can play a frantic emotional ballad and soft bebop. No note will ever sound the same, and that uniqueness is what makes jazz and music as a whole so interesting for me to consume and perform. I’m proud of the work I’ve put in to try and recreate that uniqueness myself, and I’ve been lucky to find some success. I’ve gained NZ rep experience through groups like the NZYJC big band and NZ Youth Symphonic Winds, and have been awarded best combo trumpet and best big band trumpet at the National Youth Jazz Competition for the past two years. Outside of music, I enjoy applying myself to every opportunity I can find, particularly in debating, football, drama, writing, and I even competed in the TBC arts council dance group earlier this year.