Olivia Zaugg

Olivia Zaugg (Bern, 1995) is a classical pianist and cross-genre musician based in Basel, Switzerland. Her work spans a wide range of musical fields: she performs as a Lied pianist, ensemble musician or in interdisciplinary collaborations, and is active as composer, singer or accordionist, pedagogue and choir accompanist, as well as in the research and development of new concert formats.

Her specialization in the Lied repertoire has led to numerous collaborations with singers such as Elionor Martínez Lara, Sarah Widmer, Maria Laschinger, Mireia Tarragó, and Christina Daletska, each project shaped by its own distinct artistic focus. Her debut album Blickwechsel: hänge ich, zwischen Zeiten (ARS Produktion), released in 2024 with Maria Laschinger, received the Supersonic Award and was nominated for the International Classical Music Award.

Together with Elionor Martínez Lara, she is part of the Spanish promotion program Lied The Future by Fundació Sabadell. In duo with Mireia Tarragó, she was a finalist for the Liedakademie at Heidelberger Frühling, where they received artistic guidance from Thomas Hampson.
With Sarah Widmer they perform as DUO Zaugg&Widmerin, combining classical Lied tradition with European folk song. With two voices and accordion they create programs from Barock to Schubert to Yodel.

A central focus of her artistic work is the project Ako Amo, a collaboration with electronic musician Maris Reck. Combining grand piano with electronics, they create a distinctive sonic world through co-composition and improvisation, shaped by an aesthetic of guided slowness. Their album What’s the Sound of a Dream? was released in June 2025 and was played in BBC, NTS or local radios as Radio 3fach.

Interdisciplinary projects form an essential part of her artistic interest, realized in works such as the musical tale for children Gaspis wundersame Reise, project IMOMW by Compagnie Merce & John, RESISTOR with the feminist dance collective FemTak, or with the contemporary music group pendula ensemble.

As co-founder of the off-space WABE – Ideenraum für Kunst und Kultur, Olivia Zaugg is actively engaged in cultural promotion and in exploring new concert formats. She develops formats that move beyond the traditional concert setting, opening up new spaces for artistic encounter and inclusion.

She has received important artistic impulses from Tobias Schabenberger, Anton Kernjak, and Sergio Azzolini (Musik-Akademie Basel), Dorothea Röschmann and Wolfram Rieger (Schubertíada), Brigitte Meyer (Meisterkurse Uttwil), and Cédric Pescia (Académie musicale de Morges).