About

Holly Conner is a Sydney-based drummer and percussionist - extremely versatile, she works across the electronic music, pop & indie-rock, experimental, and free jazz music scenes.

Coming from a diverse musical background, she first studied rock drumming and classical percussion, before completing a BA in Jazz Drum kit from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. 
She has also completed summer courses at the School of Improvised Music Brooklyn, and two Australian Art Orchestra Creative Music Intensives.

As a free-lance drummer, Holly has toured nationally and internationally with artists such as Holly Throsby, Microfiche, Lupa J, Marcus Whale and Human Noise. 

Festival appearances include performances at VIVID Sydney, Sydney Festival, Liveworks, Underbelly Arts, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival and Manly Jazz Festival.  

She has also played at venues such as N1Reaktorhallen in Stockholm, Km28 in Berlin, The Sydney Opera House Forecourt, MONA in Tasmania and The Art Gallery of NSW.

Her drumming is featured on several indie film and television soundtracks including the BBC/HBO TV series Top of The Lake: China Girl, and the award-winning surf film Beyond the Noise.

Alongside free-lance work, Conner produces and performs her own hybrid electronic-live drum music under the moniker ilex. ilex live sets combine industrial, experimental and texturally rich tracks with heavy drums & percussion - influenced by dark film soundtracks, techno, noise, strange creatures and the natural environment.

Current groups include Minus Marcus (pop/electronic), Microfiche (free jazz and contemporary improvisation), Boysnlove (rock), and Skinny Legions (folk and pop).

In 2019 Holly was a finalist for the Jaan Rutherford Memorial Award, recognizing excellence in Australian female jazz instrumentalists.