“Best New Ambient – [Olsen] reinforces just how far he’s stretched the cello from its familiar environment.” – Bandcamp Daily
“evocative, experimental, and emotional” – American Songwriter
“flows along with the same gush of honeyed ecstasy as a great mid-period Cocteau Twins track…. one glorious rush of beauty and sadness. In the right setting, this one is tough to listen to without tears.” – Paste Magazine
Michael Peter Olsen is a Toronto-based composer, cellist, producer and Grammy nominated songwriter, who is known for his work with artists such as Drake, Arcade Fire, Ed Sheeran, Sharon Van Etten, Haim, K-OS, Jim Guthrie, The Hidden Cameras, Electric Youth, Zoon and many more.
After decades of playing and experimenting Michael has created his own sound, “Post-Cello”, a rethinking of cello and the various roles it plays in popular music. Michael’s new eponymous electric cello based solo project is CMU approved and has been heard on BBC3, NPR, KEXP, CBC Radio, Canadian college radio and by 10K monthly online listeners. Michael’s second full length Narrative of a Nervous System was released Oct 2023 on Hand Drawn Dracula/Red Eye International featuring collaborations with Zoon, Owen Pallett, Mairi Chaimbeul and Alaska B (Yamataka Sonic Titan). 2023 saw several solo tours of Japan, Europe, Scandinavia and and the debut of the new live band featuring Owen Pallett, Alsaka B, and VR artist Shawn Chiki at a special locational surround sound multimedia performance in Toronto.
Special thanks to the City of Toronto for their support of Toronto #GTMF24 artists.
