Musical Timeline

Hailing from Rochester, NY, Maria Gillard is an extraordinary singer. Her music is a mix of folk, blues, and swingy jazz propelled by a rich alto voice. Her original songs invoke universal themes of love, family, and relationships and are a perfect mix of warmth and craft. Maria's energy on stage is inviting and contagious. She leaves audiences laughing, crying, and wanting more. You feel like you are in her living room or kitchen, no matter what size the stage. She is a great song leader and has a real knack for engaging audiences in her song.

Date	Description
1982-1985	Played in an acoustic duo with Frank Meyer in clubs and coffeehouses in the Finger Lakes region of NY. Irish tunes, folk, and country rock.
1986-1989	Began performing solo in small venues; hosted a weekly show called Folk Lunch on WRUR (88.5 FM) in Rochester; featured on a Rochester songwriter compilation called Late For the Meeting on Local Folkel Records; released first solo recording, SNAPSHOTS, produced by Eric Garrison.
1989-1991	Lived in Northampton, MA and became involved with songwriters in the Pioneer Valley, including Jim Henry, Erica Wheeler, and Bernice Lewis; worked as Folk DJ on WMUA (University of Massachusetts); and branched out playing venues in New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC.
1991-1993	Moved back to Rochester and formed an original folk bluegrass band with Paul Swiatek and others called the Black Turtle Band, who played to sold out crowds in the Rochester area.
1995	Released self-titled cassette of original songs recorded at the Sunken Room Coffeehouse by Glen Drinkwater; collaborated with Drinkwater to book the Sunken Room, which eventually turned into Glen's very successful Twelve Corners Coffeehouse.
1997	Released Bound to Happen, produced by Jim Henry; chosen as a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk Competition; toured the southwest; served as resident musician at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY; extensively toured for a few years covering mostly New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, New York State, and Ohio.
2000	Released Little Rose, another recording of mostly original songs, again produced by Jim Henry. This project included musicians Rani Arbo, Dave Dick, and Andrew Kinsey.
2002	Won first place in the Bob Schwartz Memorial Songwriting contest with the hit song Queen of the Highway. Became part of a folk, country-blues band called Deep Water, which included Bob Halperin, Rita Coulter, and Mick Sarubbi.
Present	Playing solo gigs, as well as duos with Rita Coulter (former singer in the Colorblind James Experience band). Dabbling a bit doing some jazz and blues with some local hipsters.

"She really dives into what she sings, communicating every word with conviction"
-- Rich Warren, WFMT, Chicago

Photo by Steve Piper