Mo Oliver, Violinist Guitarist Fiddler

Growing up in the Snoqualmie Valley, Washington, Mo Oliver received a 3/4-size violin his parents gave him for his eighth birthday. Weekly lessons followed, for which they drove him to Kirkland, WA to study with Melody James, of Kirkland, then with her instructor, William Kostenbader, and finally with his instructor, Karl Koker of Seattle, from whom Mo received instruction in viola technique, playing viola in a quartette with Karl and Kristi Koker in the late seventies. In 1983, when his son, Peter was born, Mo and his family had taken up residence near Gifford Washington, on Lake Roosevelt. Mo proceeded to establish studios in Chewelah, Colville and Kettle Falls, as well as in Grand Forks, B.C., where he helped the Selkirk College start a music department there, teaching violin there as well, from 1994 to 2000.

Mo studied the “Suzuki” Talent Education Method pedagogy and philosophy by attending SAA-approved Summer Institutes to get his book-levels, at: Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon, Western Washington University, Bellingham, U of M, Missoula, to name a few. He encouraged students to attend with him, studying with such Teacher-Trainers as Ellie Albers, Susan Kempter, Ed Sprunger and James and Jackie Maurer of Colorado.

In 1995, Mo met and began performing with Cuban-born guitarist/composer, the late Alex Starr, with whom he played many weddings in the northeast of Washington and southern British Columbia in the decade following.

Concurrently with the Mo & Alex collaboration, Mo played violin and viola in the Woodlands Orchestra in Kettle Falls, feeding his students into the orchestra, and later serving as its concertmaster.) In 1998, Mo & Alex joined up with the Russian folksinger, “Tatiana” Allen to accompany her in “A Russian Lullaby”, which they performed at the Woodlands Theater in Kettle Falls, the Panida Theater in Sandpoint, and the Greek Orthodox Church in Spokane. With Alex Starr, Mo Oliver produced two CD’s of original music: Midnight Cactus (1999) and Castanet (2004).

Mo moved to Coeur d’Alene in 2005 and with Melody Draves, started the Celtic band Turning Tide, which became popular for contradances, family dances and weddings from Bonners Ferry to Moscow and Spokane to Hot Springs, Montana. With Turning Tide, Mo produced the CD, Ebb & Flow, (2009).

From the years 2010 to 2015 Mo taught violin, viola, and guitar at Music Conservatory, Sandpoint, during which time he performed around and in Sandpoint, as violinist with the trio, “Triolet” with cellist Loi Eberly and Laura Clark on the flute. Mo retired from MCS in 2015 to care for his mother, then 92.

He presently teaches violin and guitar at Riverwood Community Waldorf School in Colville, Washington.