Holly completed a first-class honours degree at Otago University in 2001, and two years later graduated with a Masters in orchestral conducting from the University of Melbourne Conservatorium under the tutelage of Prof. John Hopkins, OBE. Since 2004 she has been based in Dunedin, working as a freelance conductor and writing a PhD in Music Iconography.
Most recently, Holly conducted Opera Otago’s critically acclaimed season of Cosi fan Tutte at the 2008 Otago Festival of the Arts, her fourth appearance with that company. She also assisted conductor Tecwyn Evans in the University of Otago’s productions of Madama Butterfly (2003) and Carmen (2006), and has conducted the Southern Sinfonia.
In addition to her work with the Solid Energy Ensemble of Southern Opera, Holly continues to lecture in conducting at the University of Otago, is the editor of Serbian music journal New Sound Magazine’s English edition and hopes to complete her PhD this year.