Episode 5.4 (May 2025) Olivia Shortt is a storyteller, and they tell us their stories through absurdist and maximalist music, video art and fashion. Olivia discovered that this extravagant combination of art forms can conjure unique spaces for story telling, and such mediums assist her in designing sonic environments for all people to experience and uncover their own personal meaning. In the newest episode of New Music Edmonton’s The No Normal podcast, Reid and Olivia discuss her recent residency in Edmonton, her work with the Jack Quartet and her ongoing journey of navigating the strange and weird as forces for her artistic expression.
Interviewed by Reid Contreras Woelfle
Artist Bio:
(They/them // Anishinaabe, Nipissing First Nation // ireland) Olivia Shortt is a weirdo, noisemaker, video artist, sound designer, wannabe fashion icon, curator, and composer. Shortt has been described as a “glittering, rising star in the exploratory music firmament” by Musicworks Magazine and named by the CBC as one of “6 Indigenous composers you need to know in 2024”. Their video artwork has been presented by organizations such as Din of Shadows (Toronto), University of Toronto, as well as the Matriarchs Uprising Festival (Vancouver). Shortt has performed at The Whitney Biennial (NYC), The Holland Festival (Amsterdam) and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (Washington, DC). Iconic moments include appearing and playing saxophone on CBC Kids Gary the Unicorn and lending their voice off-screen for Stephen King’s In the Tall Grass and Season 3 of Chucky. Recently, Shortt was Artist-in-Residence at Carleton University’s Music Department, and the University of Toronto’s Centre for Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies. Shortt is a graduate of Dartmouth College (USA).
For More Information:
- Website: www.olivia-shortt.com/
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/oliviash_rtt/?hl=en
