Maria Gajraj
Organetto, Organ
Roots
Profession
Roots
I’m from Ottawa, Canada! My parents are from Trinidad and I grew up with a strong connection to my Caribbean heritage.
Study
Profession
Roots
I went to Carleton University for my Bachelor’s of Music, and McGill University for my Master’s and Doctorate in Organ Performance.
Profession
Profession
Why medieval music?
I am currently writing my doctoral thesis, working as a church organist, as well as playing concerts in Canada and around the world.
Why medieval music?
What resonates with you now?
Why medieval music?
I discovered the organetto during a period of burnout and medieval music made me fall back in love with being a musician! I love making music in an ensemble and bringing these ancient melodies to life in a modern context.
What resonates with you now?
What resonates with you now?
What resonates with you now?
Finding the beauty in silences - the ringing silence before you go on stage, the collective breath before the last note of a piece, the suspended pause at the end of a concert before the applause, the deafening stillness of an empty church after a long night of practicing
Maria Gajraj is a Montréal-based organist and Doctoral Candidate at McGill University.
Her research focuses on 20th-century Caribbean organ repertoire. She is the co-founder
of Sapphonix Collective, which promotes women, queer, and racialized classical
musicians, and has been featured on CBC Radio. Maria is also the executive director of medieval ensemble COMTESSA, in which she plays organetto.
Maria has performed internationally, at venues like Salle Bourgie, Maison Symphonique, and the Orgelpark (Amsterdam) and in series such as Cal Performances (USA) and Bergen Orgelsommer (Norway). A recipient of the Godfrey Hewitt Scholarship (2022) and other awards, her doctoral research is funded by the FRQ (Fonds de Recherche du Quebec).
In her concert programs, Maria is passionate about highlighting women and composers of
colour. As Deirdre Piper wrote in “Pipelines”, Maria’s “spirited, clean, and colourful
performance lent real meaningful significance” to this music. By creating engaging
concert programs, and by featuring the organ in innovative and multidisciplinary
contexts, Maria strives to break stereotypes, and to make the organ more accessible to everyone.
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