Music isn’t just what Aja Majkrzak does for a living, it’s in her blood.

Her parents met playing in a band in college, her grandparents met at voice lessons, and if that weren’t proof enough, you could take a look at Majkrzak’s baby book and find a photo of her dad propping her up on a drum set, right after arriving home from the hospital.

At the age of four, Majkrzak started playing violin, and by the time she was seven, she was playing paid gigs.

These days you can find her performing as concertmaster for East Metro Symphony Orchestra, a role she’s occupied since 2021. The orchestra’s first concert of its season, “Italian Symphony”, is at 3 p.m. Sunday at King of Kings Lutheran Church in Woodbury. Admission is free, but donations are welcome. Three more concerts – “Jingle Bells Forever,” “Peter and the Wolf,” and “Beethoven’s Sixth” – will complete its season.

Majkrzak says being a concertmaster has compelled her to grow both personally and professionally, an unexpected benefit of the role. The concertmaster is the first chair violinist and also a vital musical leader with widely ranging responsibilities, from tuning the orchestra to working closely with the conductor.

When she first started working with the orchestra as concertmaster, she said, “People used to come to me with questions, and I would get defensive right away, but I think that was because I wasn’t quite comfortable in the role yet.”

After growing into her leadership position, she says she welcomes the interaction. One especially memorable moment was last season when she was performing as the soloist. Instead of waiting backstage for her part, she decided to sit in the back section for the first piece, which allowed her to form relationships with other musicians she hadn’t regularly had the chance to interact with.

“That’s when I got to know people that don’t usually talk to me, as a proximity thing. But people were asking me questions like, ‘What fingering do you do here?’ Or ‘Is this really the bowing?’ I was like, ‘This is what I want you to do all the time! Just because I’m sitting up front doesn’t mean you can’t ask me,” Majkrzak said. “It was nice to experience the orchestra from a different perspective, and I feel like we all got closer doing that.”

Besides setting the tone for the group musically, Majkrzak is also focused on fostering a sense of camaraderie within the group. “I’ve grown a lot in this role. I really value how, as the leader, you’re responsible for creating the kind of community and culture that’s in the group.”

The EMSO musicians aren’t the only ones who have benefited from Majkrzak’s influence. Anna Salisbury, EMSO’s communications director said,  “Aja’s performance experience and interest in broadening EMSO’s repertoire has had a very positive impact on the professionalism of the orchestra.” Salisbury attributed increased interest in the orchestra’s performances and expanded reach in the community to Majkrzak’s leadership.

Majkrak and conductor Craig Hara are the only professional musicians in the group, but she insists that doesn’t diminish the capabilities and talent of the volunteer musicians. She finds it inspiring that the orchestra members choose to spend their free time in rehearsal. She also enjoys working collaboratively with Hara to ensure the orchestra has a cohesive sound.

She does acknowledge that working in music professionally affords her a level of flexibility in her life, and the chance to focus all of her energy on her passion. When she’s not playing with the orchestra, she can be found playing several other instruments, and performing with her bandmates in the Cuban band ‘Charanga Tropical’.

One of her favorite memories was traveling to Cuba in 2015 with her band to record an album. They were able to record in an historic studio, where several well-known Cuban bands, including Buena Vista Social Club, had made albums in the past.

Majkrzak has big plans. She has her sights set on being a part of a full-time orchestra, with the Minnesota Orchestra being her ultimate goal. In the meantime, you can find her diligently working on fine-tuning this season’s performances.