Born in Jamaica and raised in Canada, Dr. Maria Thompson Corley has captivated audiences on radio, television, and concert stages as a solo and collaborative pianist, performing across North and Central America, the Caribbean, Bermuda, and Europe. Maria began composing and arranging as a child and gave her first performance at the age of eight.

She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, where she studied with Alexandra Munn, a former student of Irwin Freundlich, a distinguished professor at The Juilliard School. Dr. Corley received both her master’s and doctorate degrees in piano performance from The Juilliard School where she studied with renowned Hungarian pianist György Sándor.

Dr. Corley was the only pianist admitted into Juilliard’s doctoral program over a two-year period. She was also chosen to represent her alma mater in a tour of Central America during which she gave performances and master classes.

In 2003, her first album Dreamer: A Portrait of Langston Hughes, was released internationally by Naxos Records, a Hong Kong-based label and world leader in classical music distribution. Her later releases on the Albany label feature the first twelve études for solo piano by African American composer Leslie Adams, as well as Soulscapes, a collection of piano solos by African American women. Most recently she released an album titled Of the Father’s Love Begotten: A Contemplative Christmas.

Her compositions and arrangements have been commissioned/recorded by Castle of our Skins, Juventas New Music Ensemble, and Florida A&M University Concert Choir among others. Dr. Maria Thompson Corley’s choral and solo vocal compositions are published by Gentry, Walton, NoteNova, Classical Vocal Reprints, and North Star. Her song cycle, Grasping Water, is part of the curriculum for art song courses at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), Jackdaws Music Education Trust in the U.K., and the University of California (Irvine).

Dr. Corley’s debut mini-opera, ‘The Sky Where You Are, commissioned by An Opera Theatre in 2020, is included in the Decameron Opera Coalition’s award-winning online production, Tales from a Safe Distance. This series was added to the Library of Congress in 2021.

She has shared the stage with esteemed artists including Metropolitan Opera soprano Priscilla Baskerville, JUNO Award-winning clarinetist James Gulati, Grammy-winning clarinetist Doris Hall-Gulati, Grammy-nominated baritone Randall Scarlata, celebrated countertenor Darryl Taylor, and members of the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestras.

Dr. Corley has performed at some of the world’s most iconic venues, including the Smithsonian Museum of African American History, Liszt Academy, Weill Hall, and the Epidaurus Festival in Cavtat, Croatia. As a soloist, she has appeared with orchestras such as the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Gunther Schuller. Additionally, she has performed and recorded with the Philadelphia-based Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, led by Jeri-Lynne Johnson.

In addition to her accomplishments as a pianist, Maria is a versatile voice actor, award-winning poet, and author. She has contributed to the Broad Street Review, and blogged for Huff Post. Her first novel, Choices, was published by Kensington in 1996. Her other books include Letting Go, and More Than Enough. Her poetry and shirt stories have been featured in Chaleur, Fledgling Rag, Kaleidoscope, Midnight & Indigo, and The Write Launch.

As the mother of an autistic son, Dr. Corley is deeply committed to making music more accessible. She formed Duo Chiaroscuro with cellist Sara Male, a chamber music initiative. This initiative produces ‘Silence Optional’ concerts for individuals on the autism spectrum and others who find it challenging to remain still during classical concerts.

Dr. Corley currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she serves as an adjunct professor at Millersville University. She mentors aspiring musicians through iClassical Academy, an e-learning platform located in Switzerland that provides master classes and courses for piano, violin, cello, conducting, guitar, and trumpet.