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Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Hector Olivera's first musical studies began with his father. He started (aged three) playing the pipe organ, was appointed organist for the Church of the Immaculate Conception two years later and, at six, entered the Buenos Aires Conservatory to study harmony, counterpoint and fugue. It was here that he began to develop the art of improvisation and, by the age of nine, had composed a suite for oboe and string orchestra t hat was performed by the Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra.

He entered the University of Buenos Aires at age 12. By 18, he had performed over 300 concerts throughout Latin America and had appeared frequently on national radio and television. During this time, he also served for three years as the senior improvisational accompanist for the Collegium Musicum in Buenos Aires, a role credited as being a major building block in his noted improvisational abilities.

In 1965, he was offered a scholarship to the prestigious Juilliard School of Music in New York and moved to the United States. Three years later he won the National Improvisation Contest sponsored by the American Guild of Organists and began a concert career that spans decades.

Throughout his musical studies, Hector Olivera was taught by the late Hector Zeoli, the distinguished Mr. Vernon de Tar, and the notable Juan Francisco Giaccobe.

In addition to concerts in the United States, Hector has also performed in Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Mexico and throughout Latin America.

Notable venues include the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Carnegie Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the Crystal Cathedral, Spivey Hall, Constitution Hall, Balboa Park, and the Myerson Concert Hall in Dallas, Texas. He was the featured organist in the 1978, 1980 and 1984 International Organ Festivals in Manchester, UK.

As a tribute to Virgil Fox, Hector Olivera performed a solo concert at St. Paul's Cathedral in New York City in conjunction with the Lincoln Center of Performing Arts.

In 1988, after years of performing and residing in the United States, Hector was invited to play once again in Argentina. Upon his arrival, he was treated as a national hero with standing room only concerts that were attended by heads of state and celebrities, and was featured in numerous radio shows and television appearances.

Hector has also performed as guest soloist with orchestras throughout the world, including the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Fort Wayne Symphony, the Dover-New Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Amsterdam Baroque Ensemble, the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Jahja Ling and the Pasadena Symphony conducted by Jorge Mester. In collaboration with the Pasadena Symphony a numbered and limited Gold CD edition was released, featuring Hector as soloist performing the Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 on the five manual Moller pipe organ.