Mariamagdalena Faulkner (she/her/hers)

Researcher and Writer

Mariamagdalena (or “Maggie”) Faulkner is a violinist from Essex County, New Jersey. Raised as the daughter of musicians and ethnomusicologists, she has grown up around world music and began studying music at age 4. Maggie attended Montclair High School in New Jersey from which she graduated in 2020, and is now studying Violin Performance at the Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts on a full tuition scholarship.

She is a current member of the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra, and has performed with the All-North Jersey and All-State Junior High and High School Orchestras. She also attended the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival/Academy in 2019, and performed with their academy orchestra, and with the Laurel Springs String Quartet. At home, Maggie enjoys playing in a quartet with her two younger sisters and close friend.

During high school Maggie was a mentor in the Youth Orchestras of Essex County (of which she was a member for 7 years), and spent many hours mentoring and teaching younger students and student groups. She also currently teaches private students.

Although she studies classical violin as her college major, Maggie also plays other string instruments such as viola, guitar, and mandolin, and has a passion for world music and instruments. She has experience playing charanga, salsa, choro, American, Irish, and Scottish folk music, and jazz.