Marika Galea is a bassist, composer and educator from Scarborough, Ontario. Her performance work spans jazz, pop, folk, indie, hip hop, new music and experimental genres, earning her a 2025 nomination in Downbeat Magazine’s Critics Poll (Rising Star on Electric Bass). She is a tenured assistant professor of jazz and contemporary popular music at Brandon University. Marika also shares frequently as a guest lecturer/artist at music festivals, institutions of higher education and intensive programs around the world (ie. Monterey Jazz Festival, Berklee College of Music, McGill Conservatory, Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes, Prince Edward County Jazz Festival, Malta Jazz Festival). She holds a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music (composition, contemporary conducting, performance) and a Master of Music (jazz performance) from McGill University. Musical projects she has collaborated on have been nominated for (or won) JUNO, Golden Globe, Academy, Polaris, Iris, RIDM and HotDocs Awards. She has secured funding for her works through the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings, Manitoba Arts Council, McGill University, Berklee College of Music (Lennie Johnson, Richard Levy), the University of Toronto (Phil and Noreen Nimmons, Distillery Jazz Festival) and Brandon University (Mary Smart, BURC). In addition to her own teaching and performing, Marika finds meaning in curating performances, providing platforms for collaboration and celebration between diverse artists, art forms, and generations.