An award-winning multi-instrumentalist, composer and writer, Marika Galea is also an outstanding educator, having joined the School of Music in 2021 as a Professor in the Department of Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music.
“I am thankful for the warm welcome I’ve received at the School of Music,” Galea said. “My first year has been an opportunity for deep empathy and learning about how best to work together as our community continues to navigate the pandemic.”
Best known for her work as a bassist, Galea has taught bass, small ensemble, jazz composition, arranging and improvisation in the School of Music as well as lessons at the Eckhardt-Grammatté Conservatory. She will also join with other faculty to bring back the Brandon Jazz Festival in 2023, which has been handed over to the School of Music after being cancelled for three straight years due to the pandemic.
“I think we all had a sense of how lucky we were to have Marika join our faculty in September, but she has made an extraordinary impression over the course of her first year in our School,” said Greg Gatien, Dean of Music at BU. “With her tremendous abilities and experiences as a musician, she is not just a great resource for our students but also an inspiration. Her work in the classroom is just as impressive as her work on the bandstand. We’re so looking forward to her contributions to our programs for many years to come.”
Galea holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Composition from the Berklee College of Music and a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from McGill University. She has previously taught at McGill University, McGill Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival and the Montery Jazz Festival. Galea was named one of CBC Music’s 35 best Canadian jazz artists under the age of 35 in 2017 and has supported artists in many disciplines, including jazz, pop, rock, indie, hip hop, new music, and experimental genres. She has collaborated on projects that have won or been nominated for JUNO, Golden Globe, Academy, Polaris, Iris, RIDM and Hot Docs awards.
Her music explores the space between improvised jazz, narrative songwriting and hypnotic soundscapes, and Galea encourages a similar sense of exploration and reflection with her students.
“Artists, educators and researchers are at the forefront of exploring the big questions we are facing as a society, as we always have been, and our students are entering a rapidly evolving professional sphere,” Galea said. “I am keen to continue pursuing my research as a producer, composer and performer while refining the School of Music’s offerings in order to provide the best possible performance, inquiry and conflict resolution skills training. I am encouraged in the knowledge that my colleagues are equally committed to student success and excellence in research.”
