Bio

Holly Conner is a drummer, producer, and all-round creative musician based in Sydney. The rhythmic backbone behind many Australian acts, she is known for her versatility as a performer and session player; her creativity as an improviser and collaborator; and individuality as a solo artist. 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, session player, and collaborator, she creates and performs her own percussion-meets-electronic music as ilex.

"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

Holly has toured with songwriters, producers, and composers throughout Europe and Australia; 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. Locally, she also sometimes hosts radio shows on community Sydney station FBI.

Bands & Session Work
During 2024 Holly performed with indie/pop and commercial artists such as
Matthew Ifield, Annie Hamilton, CLEWS, Glenn Hopper & Hevenshe.

In recent years she has toured both Europe and Australia with Clews and Annie Hamilton; she has previously toured with artists such as Holly Throsby, Human Noise, Lupa J & Marcus Whale. Indie recordings include drums on songwriter Glenn Hopper's album Something About the Weather , and BoysnLove's Honeymoon Diver.

Contemporary Improvisation and Collaborations

Holly is currently a co-leader of the well-respected Sydney modern improvisation collective Microfiche. She has co-produced, written for, and played on all their albums since 2015.
During 2024 she also performed with, and recorded for Matthew Ottignon's newest project Volant (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 (The Necks), Phil Slater, Adrian Lim-Klumpes, Paul Cutlan, Joseph Franklin, Flora Cabo, Jacques Emery, Clayton Thomas, Jonathan Wilson, Niki Johnson, Sia Ahmad, and Hilary Geddes

In the realm of electronic/club music she co-produced and recorded on Minus Marcus' EP Sigtsignals

She has of course composed and produced all tracks on her own ilex releases - the Visions of Elsewhere EP, & singles Kodamas & What Is Soft Is Also Strong .

Film, TV & Performance Art
Holly has contributed her compositional & performance skills to countless cross-disciplinary arts projects - from theatre works and developments - to performance art and live sculpture projects with artists such as Lauren Brincat, Alyx Dennison, Leo Tzao.
Her drumming is also featured on indie films and tv shows such as the BBC/HBO series Top of The Lake: China Girl, and the award-winning surf film Beyond the Noise. She has also been the deputy drum chair for the hit musical SIX, when it showed in Sydney.

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.