About

Jason Olshan is a New York–based composer, songwriter, guitarist, and educator whose writing blends influences from across musical genres. His work is shaped by a lifelong interest in melody, storytelling, and the connections between music, literature, time, and place.

In 2007, he co-founded the indie-rock band The Middle Eight, whose music style was influenced by the Beatles, 90’s alternative and classical composers like Robert Schumann. Their song Love; Pass It On was featured in the Catherine Zeta-Jones film The Rebound. The band also composed a rock opera based on H. P. Lovecraft’s short story The Music of Erich Zann. 

Jason studied classical guitar with Argentine guitarist and composer Jorge Morel before continuing his studies with Pablo Cohen at Ithaca College. In recent years, his focus has increasingly turned to composition for piano, guitar, and chamber ensembles. His collection of solo piano works, Lapses, reflects his interest in expressive melody, atmosphere, and creating musical worlds inspired by history, memory, mystery, and the natural environment. 

Jason teaches history at a New York City public high school. When not writing music, he enjoys hiking in the Adirondack mountains, rocking out at classical concerts, and stopping to read every historical plaque he encounters.