[1] During the 1980s Oliver was commissioned to compose numerous works, including Halloween (1980, Allison Voth), Before the Freeze (1984, Claude Schryer), Aller-Retour (1988, the SMCQ), New Bloom (1988, Robert Aitken), and Fields Before Us (1990, Lori Freedman).
In 1989 his Anamnèse amnésique for orchestra and Aller-Retour for chamber ensemble won two categories in the PROCAN Young Composers' Competition.
While there he wrote the opera Guacamayo's Old Song and Dance which uses a libretto by the composer's mother that is based on various Guatemalan legends and pays special attention to the culture and politics of the people of Guatemala.
The work incorporates pre-recorded sounds of the Guatemalan countryside and uses a score for five singers, winds, brass, guitar, percussion, and live electronics.
His work at Music and the Morning included compositions written for Russell Braun, the CBC Vancouver Orchestra, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet.