Olivia Sue Greene, soprano, is drawn to music for the relationships it fosters. Growing up a South Georgia chorister, she experienced the radical magic of learning in collaborative contexts and performing in intimate relation to her community. In her work as a performer and as a teacher, she actively strives to nourish a symbiotic musical ecosystem. Olivia followed her love of ensemble to the Choral Music Education and Voice Performance programs at the University of Georgia, and later, Westminster Choir College.
Her passion for projects that connect us across generations has shaped her dynamic and multifaceted career. Recognized for her “remarkably nimble ability to embody a variety of styles,” she brings “vibrant expression and insightful musicianship” to an exceptionally diverse repertoire.
Recent highlights include her debut performance of Schönberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with City Lyric Opera; the world premiere of Paola Prestini’s groundbreaking opera Sensorium Ex with Beth Morrison Projects; an American Songbook recital exploring the works of Amy Beach, Lee Hoiby, and Samuel Barber; a featured performance as the soprano soloist in John Rutter’s Magnificat under the composer’s own baton; and Relics & Martyrs, a stirring program presented by the acclaimed Death of Classical concert series and performed with The New Consort and Theotokos Ensemble.
As a concert soloist and chamber musician, she has performed works by Charpentier, Bach, Händel, Stravinsky, and Britten. On the operatic stage, favorite roles include Nannetta in Verdi’s Falstaff and Papagena in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. A sought-after ensemble singer, she appears regularly with renowned vocal ensembles including Trinity Choir, Clarion Music Society, and Musica Sacra.
Outside of classical music, Olivia’s favorite singers are Cécile Mclorin Salvant and Dolly Parton. She also loves drawing, tap dancing, flowers, and her hound dog, Susan Sarandon.
GRAMMY-nominated conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather is Director of the New York Philharmonic Chorus and Music Director of New York City’s The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra. He is Professor and the Tania León Endowed Chair of Music at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.
His 2025–2026 season features four world premieres, including David Lang’s The Wealth of Nations and Ellen Reid’s Earth Between Oceans with the New York Philharmonic Chorus, Mark Campbell and Peter Boyer’s A Hundred Years On with The Philadelphia Orchestra and The Crossing, and the title role in Frederick with Music Worcester. Merriweather also marks his tenth season with the Dessoff Choirs with performances of Herbert Howells’s Requiem, Adolphus Hailstork’s The World Called, Bach’s Mass in B Minor with period orchestra, a reprise of Tania León’s It’s a journey, and two appearances with Andrea Bocelli at Madison Square Garden.
Equally at home with symphonic choral masterworks and contemporary repertoire, Merriweather has conducted Bach’s St. John Passion, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Handel’s Messiah, and is widely recognized for championing the music of Margaret Bonds through premiere recordings with AVIE Records. Guest conducting appearances include the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, CHINEKE!, Novus Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
His ensembles have appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Disney Concert Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Westminster Abbey, and the Vatican. At the invitation of Solange Knowles, he joined Saint Heron for Glory to Glory: A Revival of Devotional Art with Voices of Harlem and The Clark Sisters.
Merriweather holds degrees from Eastman, Manhattan School of Music, and Syracuse University, and was a Tanglewood fellow. Connect with him on social media @maestroweather and at malcolmjmerriweather.com.
