Carte blanche Julie Koidin / Isabelle Olivier

Isabelle Olivier and Julie Koidin first met in 2012 at the Alliance Français in Chicago at Julie’s Nadia Boulanger concert. They quickly formed a friendship and in 2017, Isabelle invited Julie to participate on her original commission from the Art Institute of Chicago – « Gauguin, Artist as Alchemist ».

The pairing of flute and harp is legendary since Ancient Greece. Julie Koidin and Isabelle Olivier have a very modern and unique way to combine compositions and improvisations as well.

For this « Carte blanche », they will play classical music, jazz standards, and original music.

Julie Koidin has had extensive travels to Brazil and Argentina, researching the music of both countries. In August 2010, British flutist Trevor Wye invited her to do a presentation on Brazilian choro in Manchester, England as part of the British Flute Society’s bi-annual convention. In 2016 Julie hosted and produced “A Joyful Cry: Brazil’s Choro Music” for the WFMT Radio Network. This was the first internationally-broadcast radio documentary about choro and was broadcast in honor the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2002 she received the top position in both the U.S. and Brazil for a Fulbright Lecture-Research Grant. She has taught extensively in Brazil – at the Federal Universities of Rio (UNIRIO), Natal, Brasília, Recife, and in various festivals including FEMUSICA, the International Winter Festival of Domingos Martins and Brasília’s International Summer Festival. Julie has also received 7 other Fulbright Grants – Norway (2005), New Zealand (2006), Serbia (2008), Sweden (2011), Brazil (2014 & 2015), Ecuador (2016) and Colombia (2019).

Prior to Tempero Brasileiro, Julie performed with Paulinho Garcia and Heitor Garcia in Dois no Choro. Together they recorded 3 CDs: Carinhoso (1999), Juntos (Jazzmin Records, 2002) and Asa Branca (Laughing Buddha Music, 2008). Juntos was on the first round nominations in two categories for the 2003 Latin Grammy Awards, and both Juntos and Asa Branca received Special Assistance Awards from the Illinois Arts Council.

Julie received her doctorate and master’s degrees from Northwestern University and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.

Isabelle Olivier is a composer, harpist, artistic director with a strong musical personality and a unique talent. She brings a special wave of freshness and novelty to the international artistic world with her surprising and unique instrument. She recorded eleven CDs and one DVD with her compositions and performed in 25 countries to present her projects. She composed four music scores for Agnes Varda – the Oscar Winner in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2015.

In 2015, she has been awarded as the first composer for the prize “Villa Lenotre” at the King’s Garden in Versailles. In 2022, she just released her 11th album “SMILE” and she is a part of the prestigious Villa Albertine in 2023 in Washington DC