About Oliver Pontius

Born in the rural, unincorporated community of Irwin, Ohio, Oliver started private lessons at four years old. He grew to pursue music at the collegiate level at The Ohio State University, where he studied under Mark Flugge and participated in and arranged music for several small ensembles at OSU while teaching a dozen private students of his own. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati's renowned College-Conservatory of Music, studying jazz performance and composition under Assistant Profesor of Jazz Steve Allee. This experience, coupled with his minor in Commercial Music Production courses, has culminated in a solid and engaging musical voice. In addition to teaching private lessons for Music and Arts in central Ohio, Oliver also performs regularly with small ensembles in a wide variety of jazz styles, carrying on the midwest's colorful lineage of jazz music.