Bio

(Full Bio)

Holly Conner is a drummer, producer, and all-round creative musician based in Sydney. A musical chameleon, she is just as at home playing electronic pop with producers, laying it down in in indie rock bands; as she is in the worlds of modern improvised music, film music, free jazz, and experimental performance art. Alongside her work as a free-lance artist and collaborator, she creates and performs her own percussion-meets-electronic music as ilex. She also fills in as a radio host, on community Sydney station FBI.

"Dynamic, powerful...an impressive display of virtuosic drumming...theatrical, the sound and vision were highly impressive" - Eric Myers, Freedman Fellowship Awards Sydney Opera House
"Mesmerising...Exquisite" - Mark Pigott, Sydney Arts Guide, Freedman Fellowship Awards

; recorded for film and tv; performed as part of large-scale public art installations & cross-disciplinary works; and has played at many festivals across the globe.

Bands & Session Work
Holly has toured throughout Europe, Asia, and Australia - notable tours with indie/pop/commercial artists include Jack Ladder, Matthew Ifield (India tour, Aus tours, Asian festivals); Annie Hamilton, CLEWS (European, Aus touring with both); Glenn Hopper, Hevenshe, Human Noise, Lupa J , Marcus Whale, Holly Throsby.

She has also performed in the hit musical SIX, in Sydney.

Holly features on many indie and commercial recordings.

Notable recordings include drums on songwriter Glenn Hopper's album Something About the Weather ; tv shows such as the BBC/HBO series Top of The Lake: China Girl; and the award-winning surf film Beyond the Noise.

Contemporary Improvisation and Collaborations

Microfiche - Holly is a co-leader of the well-respected modern improvisation collective. She has co-produced, written for, and played on all their albums since 2015.

Volant - Holly recorded drums on their latest release; featured on ABC Jazz, Best of Jazz on Bandcamp, 4 stars reviews in the Sydney Morning Herald).

As an improviser she has collaborated and performed with many incredible artists such as Chris Abrahams, Phil Slater, Adrian Lim-Klumpes, Paul Cutlan, Joseph Franklin, Flora Cabo, Jacques Emery, Clayton Thomas, Jonathan Wilson, Niki Johnson, Sia Ahmad, and Hilary Geddes

ilex - composed/produced all tracks on her own ilex releases - Visions of Elsewhere EP + singles Kodamas & What Is Soft Is Also Strong .

Performance Art
Holly has contributed her compositional & performance skills to countless arts projects - from theatre works - to performance art with artists such as Lauren Brincat, Alyx Dennison, Leo Tzao.

Festival/Event appearances include VIVID Sydney, Sydney Festival, STRATA Festivals 1 2 and 3 at Phoenix Central Park, Sydney World Pride, Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Rhepperbahn Hamburg, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, The Sydney Biennale, Liveworks, Underbelly Arts; and special projects at The N1Reaktorhallen in Stockholm, Km28 in Berlin, MONA in Tasmania, The Powerhouse Museum Sydney, and The Art Gallery of NSW.

Selected Awards/Support
2019 - Jaan Rutherford Memorial Award Finalist (excellence in Australian female jazz instrumentalists)
2022 - Freedman Jazz Fellowship Finalist (Australia-wide Jazz Award).
2023 - FBI Radio's Independent Artist of the Week (for ilex)
2023 - Mentee in the AIR (Australian Independent Record Labels Association) Women In Music Mentor Program
2023 - Inner West Council professional development grant recipient to complete Ableton Liveschool in 2023.
2018, then 2023 - ongoing - Volunteer and Presenter at FBI Radio, Sydney

Study
Holly comes from an eclectic background of rock drumming and classical percussion. She completed a BA of Jazz Performance (Honours) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and has also completed summer courses at the School of Improvised Music Brooklyn, plus two Australian Art Orchestra Creative Music Intensives.