Calendar
Discover the unexpected voice of the organ
From the grandeur of French Romanticism to the rediscovery of a Caribbean musical voice, organist Maria Gajraj invites you on a journey through the organ’s remarkable expressive possibilities.
Franz Liszt’s St Francis of Paola Walking on the Waves evokes the power and motion of the sea, while Claude Debussy La cathédrale engloutie conjures the mysterious image of a cathedral submerged beneath the waves. Works by Louis Vierne, Olivia Belli, and Hugo Distler reveal a striking range of colours, textures, and atmospheric soundscapes.
VANCOUVER PREMIÈRE
Edward Margetson – Pastorale
At the heart of the programme is Pastorale by Caribbean organist and composer Edward Margetson (1891-1962), whose music and writings championed racial equality. Through her doctoral research at McGill University, Maria brings renewed attention to a composer whose contribution remains little known.
About Maria Gajraj
Named one of CBC’s ’30 Hot Classical Musicians under 30′ in 2026, Maria Gajraj won First Prize in the 2025 Royal Canadian College of Organists National Organ Competition. As a performer and researcher, she brings musical interpretation and historical discovery together, expanding the stories told through the organ repertoire.
Maria Gajraj brings together the many voices of the organ : the contemplative world of sacred music, the grandeur and colour of the Romantic tradition, the spare intensity of minimalism, and the adventurous soundscape of contemporary music. Her programme moves freely across centuries, revealing unexpected connections between music rooted in ancient traditions and works that stretch the organ into new sonic territory.
In Maria’s hands, the organ becomes both familiar and surprising : capable of profound stillness, luminous textures, rhythmic energy, and vast orchestral colour. Her playing invites us to hear an instrument with centuries of history not as a relic of the past, but as a vibrant and expressive voice today.
Maria Gajraj is an award-winning Canadian organist, sound creator, researcher, and writer whose performances bring together the richness of the organ’s historical tradition with an adventurous approach to contemporary music. She has performed internationally at venues including Salle Bourgie and Maison Symphonique in Montreal, Orgelpark in Amsterdam, and Blackburn Cathedral in the United Kingdom, as well as in concert series in Canada, the United States, and Europe.
In 2025, Maria won first prize in the Royal Canadian College of Organists’ National Organ Competition, along with the Douglas Haas Prize and the Jan Overduin Audience Prize. She completed her Doctorate of Music at McGill University in 2026, where her research explored the music of twentieth-century Caribbean organist and composer Edward Margetson.
Maria’s concert programmes reflect a particular interest in expanding the organ repertoire and bringing lesser-known music to audiences. She is drawn to music that crosses boundaries of period and style, placing the great works of the organ repertoire alongside contemporary and experimental voices. Her musical interests also extend to early music: she is the programming director of the medieval ensemble COMTESSA, performing on the organetto, and her debut album, “exhale.”, explores minimalism, experimentalism, improvisation, and contemporary approaches to the organ.
This autumn marks the beginning of a new chapter in Maria’s career as she takes up the position of Music Director at St Philip’s Anglican Church in Vancouver, bringing together her work as a performer, programmer, church musician, and advocate for the continuing vitality of the organ.
Maria’s “spirited, clean, and colourful performance lent real meaningful significance to this music”
– Pipelines
Featuring the organ in:
And an organ solo transcription of Elgar’s Nimrod, performed by Matthew Li