Luke Gajdus is a pianist, composer and music therapist. He found the piano as a child at his aunt’s house in a beech forest outside London, which quickly became his refuge. He began to improvise and compose, using the piano to tap into the unconscious, to facilitate calm, to process and reflect on emotions or to change his mood.

Experiencing a profound therapeutic effect in creating music guided Luke to eventually obtain a Masters in Music Therapy. In turn, this has deepened his understanding of how music can be used to bring about balance to the mind, body and heart. Luke’s performances emphasise a state of relaxation and therapy, and have included such events as all night sleepover concerts with Benjamin Gustafsson in Europe, improvised outdoor concert with Amanda Palmer in Queenstown and playing pop up concerts around New Zealand and Europe in natural spaces.

One day, when the piano was in his van for a video shoot, Luke decided to unload it in public and play some songs. Luke saw people becoming emotional. The thought of helping people think about and understand their emotions, to help process them, to reflect, to facilitate calm, to lift their mood or simply make their day better through music felt so meaningful. Since then, Luke has been performing to thousands on Queenstown’s mountainous lakefront, treating the work as a form of music therapy to whomever needs it. Luke’s debut album In Breath, continues in this vein. 

Luke’s music has featured on Headphone Commute, KEXP Radio, Radio New Zealand, and BBC Radio 3.